Twist of Fate
by Dr.Willowbrook
Summary: This story is set during Season 3's Obsession. What would have happened if Alicia hadn't gone crazy and if Lana had a major part to play in Clark realizing his destiny? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Freefall

Chapter 1: Freefall

Lionel Luthor. He had a confidence and swagger that enabled him to command the attention of an entire room. Or in this case, a group of Smallville High econ students on a field trip to Luthorcorp headquarters. As he finished up his speech, Alicia Baker couldn't help but be mesmerized with the way he was able to seem so impressive yet so personable all at once. She thought if only she had that ability, then maybe she wouldn't be so alone. Maybe she wouldn't be so scared of people finding out that she was a freak. If she could get people to respond to her the way that Lionel Luthor did, maybe they wouldn't even care if she was a freak.

While Alicia listened intently, two students in the group were not nearly as impressed with Lionel Luthor as she was. Chloe Sullivan and Clark Kent knew what Lionel Luthor was truly capable of. What appeared to everyone else as charisma and charm, they saw as just a small taste of his manipulative prowess. Yet they had to sit and endure Lionel's presentation for the sake of their econ grade.

Or at least that was what Clark thought while Chloe continually shot Clark snide remarks about Lionel's speech under her breath. Throughout the presentation, Clark alternated between wanting to vomit at Lionel's statements and keeping himself from busting a gut laughing at Chloe's sarcastic jokes. 'God,' he thought to himself, 'without Chloe here this field trip would have been pure torture.'

Despite the fact that Lionel was the person she and Clark most loathed, Chloe was oddly glad for his presence. Lionel's speech gave Chloe a rare opportunity to inject some normalcy into her and Clark's strained friendship. For once, she could be her snarky self around Clark while simultaneously putting some distance between herself and the most shameful decision of her young life… her deal with Lionel to investigate Clark Kent.

As Chloe struggled to extricate herself from her deal with the devil, she desperately tried to repair her friendship with Clark. A friendship she had almost destroyed because of wounded pride and jealousy. Jealousy that Clark had picked Lana Lang over her yet again. Although Clark had openly forgiven her for her lapse in judgment, Chloe desperately wanted to gain back his trust. Short of compromising her integrity, she would do whatever it took to return to that place she once held in his life. The place of confidant and best friend… even if it meant that she had to presently give up on winning his heart. Chloe was relieved that at least Pete was still there for Clark. To an extent, Pete was there for her too, though she could sense that she was slowly becoming the odd woman out in their triangle of friendship.

The class began clapping as Lionel ended his speech. He then sauntered over to Clark and Chloe and greeted them with a smug grin.

"Ms. Sullivan. Mr. Kent. Well, it's nice to see you both looking to the future."

Lionel was met with a pair of unamused stares. They quickly turned to escape as Lionel took his leave.

"What do you say we make a break for the fire escape?" said Chloe, trying to lighten their sour mood.

"I could crawl down all 39 stories if this field trip didn't count towards our final grade," Clark responded gloomily.

Attempting to get a smile out of Clark as they lined up to enter the elevator, Chloe snarked, "Welcome to the Lionel Luthor exhibit! Next floor: victims, sycophants, and hatchet men!"

Clark nearly snorted out in laughter, which brought a triumphant smile to Chloe's face. Unfortunately Mrs. Smith, their econ teacher, didn't find Chloe's mockery of the tour nearly as amusing.

As Chloe stepped into the elevator, Mrs. Smith said to Chloe and Clark, "How about I split up this little fan club? Mr. Kent, take the next car."

As the elevator doors began to close, Chloe pouted and waved to Clark sadly. Clark waved back, disappointed.

Clark suddenly noticed Alicia step up beside him to wait for the next elevator car. As he looked back at her, he realized that they were the only two people waiting for the next car. Always the chivalrous farm boy, he went ahead and pressed the elevator button for the both of them.

Clark also quickly became aware of what Pete would have surely called Alicia's "smokin' hot good looks and bangin' bod." For her part, Alicia took in Clark's tall and sturdy build, green eyes, and chiseled yet delicate face. Their sudden proximity made her slightly nervous yet excited. As they stood waiting, Clark and Alicia exchanged quick glances which were followed by embarrassed yet barely noticeable smiles.

Looking at her light brown eyes framed by her long straight blond hair, Clark remembered that Alicia had a reputation for being an aloof snob. What he saw in her eyes, however, was a hint of shyness and insecurity. That hint gave him the courage to try to make conversation, perhaps even be clever. For a moment, Alicia managed to break Lana Lang's stranglehold on Clark Kent's romantic thoughts. If Lana wanted to keep her distance from him, then he resolved not live his own life on the sidelines.

Clark decided to go for it and joked, "Elevators… too much demand, not enough supply."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Clark could imagine Pete as Jimmeny Cricket, sitting on his shoulder and saying, "Way to sound like a total dork, you Big Dumb Alien. Real smooth. Real smooth."

Alicia bit back a disbelieving laugh as she thought to herself, 'I can't believe he actually said that! Quite dorky, yet sweet and cute… at least he tried.'

Seeing Alicia's attempt to keep herself from laughing _at_ him, Clark desperately wanted to crawl into a hole. But all he could manage was a mortified grin while he slowly looked away towards the elevator doors.

The elevator doors opened they both stepped in. Distracted by Alicia's beautiful presence and his recent attempt to scam a pick up line from Alan Greenspan, Clark forgot to press the elevator button and instead couldn't help but exchanged sheepish glances with Alicia. Suddenly realizing that the elevator wasn't going anywhere, Clark pressed the lobby button and reflexively sneaked another peek at Alicia, whom he caught already staring at him. Both teenagers looked away with goofy grins on their faces while the doors closed.

Suddenly, the elevator's emergency buzzers went off. Clark pressed the lobby button again. For a second nothing happened, but then they felt a sudden jolt and the elevator began to plummet.

* * *

Dread. That was a word that Lana never would have associated with the Talon before. But now her sanctuary was infested by someone who had become a constant source of fear, threats, and distrust whenever she encountered him. Worst yet, she had invited this cancer into her life… into her home. Why had she made such a rash decision? Why had she let Adam nestle himself into her existence? Deep down, she knew the answer: Clark Kent.

Ever since Clark returned from Metropolis he had pushed her away, claiming to protect her from the supposed ugliness and dangers posed by his secrets. She could see that those secrets weighed heavily on him and that they had changed him. Lana missed the Clark who reserved his most radiant smile just for her. She would give almost anything to see Clark smile again and see him emerge from his constant brooding. Couldn't he see that all she wanted to do was to help him carry his burdens?

So she stayed in his orbit, hoping that he would eventually let her in. But he kept shutting her out. He had made her fall completely in love with him and now he was rejecting her. Then Clark's greatest fear finally came to pass. Lana had stayed in his orbit a little too long and ended up getting literally trampled by his secrets. In an act of utter frustration and self-preservation, she gave Clark a taste of his own medicine. She told him to stay away. Being constantly shunned by the man she loved was slowly killing her, much like a cancerous limb. She needed to cut that limb off. She needed to learn how to live without Clark Kent.

But Lana hadn't expected the depth of the void his absence would leave in her life. Clark was the one constant that Lana could always depend on. Without him, she had to literally and figuratively learn how to walk again. That's when Adam made his move. In the guise of friendship, he preyed on Lana's loneliness and her yearning for a relationship that didn't hold any secrets or lies. Eventually, Lana learned that she was far from done with secrets and lies. The only difference was that now she was dealing with a potential enemy instead of a friend. She now wished she was stuck with the latter.

Lana was determined to finally take her fate into her own hands. She would cleanse her life of people she couldn't trust and find a way to bring back those who had her best interests at heart. Although Clark himself was a vault of secrets, Lana still instinctively trusted that he wanted to do what was best for her. The only problem she saw was getting Clark to place his trust in her.

As she walked up the Talon staircase towards Adam's apartment, Lana stopped kidding herself and admitted that she was still in love with Clark Kent. She resolved that she would do whatever was necessary to keep him in her life. It didn't matter whether she came back into his life as a friend or as something more. As long as she got back the person who had been her rock. And she silently yearned that he would let her be his rock in return.

But finding out whether Adam was a threat to her and her friends took top priority for the time being. Lana steeled herself as she unlocked and opened the apartment door.

"Adam?" she called out in an effort to make sure she was alone.

Satisfied that Adam wasn't home, she quickly busied herself searching for clues as to his motives for being in Smallville. After a moment of searching, she found exactly what she was looking for. It was a journal taped to the underside of one of Adam's bookshelves.

Ripping the journal from its housing, Lana perused its contents. What she saw made her stomach curdle. The journal contained detailed accounts and observations of Lana's and Clark's daily activities. Adam had been spying on them. But why? Trying to make sense of what she was reading, Lana was suddenly startled by Adam's voice.

"Lana, what are you doing?" he said coolly.

Lana's mounting anger gave a glint to her hazel eyes and accented her delicate facial features. She angrily whipped her long raven hair around to face him.

With a mix of disgust and rage in her eyes she responded, "Adam, what is this?"

She began reading some of his entries out loud to him, but failed to elicit any reaction from him.

Instead, he replied, "Those are private. Give it back to me," as held out his hand for the journal.

Clutching the journal in her hands, she responded, "You've been spying on me. And you've been spying on Clark."

Her accusations merely managed to put a threatening smirk on his face as he said, "Look who's talking."

"No, you threatened me," she glared at him, "and now I find out you've been keeping tabs on me? I want you to leave."

She made a move to leave but Adam blocked her exit, grabbing the journal that Lana firmly had in her hands. It was clear that he wasn't going to let her leave with it. Having found out all that she needed to, she let go of the journal and side-stepped him as she marched towards the door.

"I guess you haven't checked tenant laws," Adam called out to her, "It's not that easy to evict someone. I'm not going anywhere."

Lana gave him one last steely look before she walked out and shut the door. As she traveled down the steps, all she could think about was warning Clark and finding a way to get rid of Adam as fast as possible.

* * *

The elevator plunged downwards with increasing speed.

"Oh my god!" said Alicia in a hushed scream.

Clark had to think fast. If he didn't do something soon, there was no way Alicia would survive the impact when the elevator hit bottom. Immediately, he decided that protecting his secret wasn't worth risking an innocent life.

Clark quickly looked up at the protective bubble containing the elevator security camera. He concentrated on it with his heat vision, frying the camera with beams of invisible concentrated heat from his eyes. He hoped it would be enough to conceal what he was about to do next.

Alicia looked on in startled amazement as she saw sparks fly from the camera housing, wondering what had just happened.

Clark then turned to the opposite side of the elevator car and used his x-ray vision to identify a vertical guide rail that was just outside the car. Wasting no time, he punched through the metal wall of the elevator car and grabbed the guide rail, closing his hand around the metal column in order to slow their descent.

As the elevator came to a stop, Alicia couldn't believe that she had just seen a boy punch through a steel elevator car.

In near-complete shock, she looked at Clark and said, "What did you just do?"

Clark looked back at Alicia, still holding on to the guide rail with his arm through the wall. At that moment Clark's body position, combined with the worry etched in his face, reminded Alicia of a boy who just got caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"Please," he pleaded, "don't tell anyone about this."

For a moment Alicia just stood there, taking in their situation. She was suddenly startled out of her trance by banging and shouting outside the elevator door.

"Hello, is there anybody in there?" said the voice on the other side.

"This is Luthorcorp security. Remain calm. If anybody's in there, we're working to get you out! Hang on!"

A terrified look entered Clark's eyes as the security personnel began to crack the elevator doors apart with a crow bar.

Alicia sensed Clark's desperation. She was astounded that Clark would risk revealing his abilities just to save her. It was the first time that someone had ever stuck their neck out to help her. Knowing what she had to do, Alicia approached Clark and tentatively wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Clark could only give her a bewildered look as he wondered what was going on.

Before he knew it, a smoky green glow engulfed the teens and they disappeared into thin air, leaving the elevator to continue its free fall. A split second later, they materialized on the ground floor elevator lobby. They could hear the elevator as it crashed into the sub-basement levels. Alicia looked around anxiously, making sure that no one had seen them re-materialize.

It was Clark's turn to be dumbfounded. Had Alicia just teleported them out of the elevator?

He finally asked her, "What did you just do?"

Alicia couldn't believe that she had just revealed her ability to an almost complete stranger.

"You didn't want to get caught," she replied, still in shock, "and I wanted to help so I uh…"

She gave up trying to explain and leaned close to Clark, with her brown eyes begging for understanding.

"Clark, now you know my secret. You can't tell anybody," she implored, "please?"

Before he could reply, they were both surrounded by concerned classmates and teachers. Yet Clark never broke eye contact with Alicia. For the first time, he saw a reflection of himself in someone else— a reflection of someone who felt alone and isolated because she was truly different.

Mrs. Smith and Chloe approached Clark and Alicia.

"Are you two alright?" asked Mrs. Smith.

"Yeah, yeah, we're okay," Clark answered, "the elevator crashed just as we got out of the doors."

He then turned to Alicia for corroboration, "Sounded like the cables broke?"

She quickly nodded in affirmation, trying to hide the appreciative smile creeping up on her face.

"How did that happen?" interjected Chloe.

"I don't know Chloe," replied Clark, trying not to look her in the eye, afraid she might be able to tell that he was lying.

Chloe's concern for Clark, however, overshadowed her natural investigative instincts as she asked him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said as he looked over at Alicia.

With a grateful smile on her face Alicia mouthed, "Thank you," before disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

Lex Luthor briskly walked into the Talon. An old movie house converted into a coffee shop, the Talon was one of Lex's pet side projects. Although he owned the building, Lex left the day to day management of the coffee shop to his business partner, Lana Lang. He had to admit that he was impressed with Lana's ability to turn the Talon into moderately successful business despite being just a high school student.

But tonight, Lex wasn't here on normal business. He was here to make sure that one of his friends remained safe. He advanced through the evening crowd and found Lana at the bar, prepping the espresso machine. As soon as he saw her, Lex knew something was wrong. Lana's normally cheery demeanor was replaced by an uneasy energy, although that was happening more and more these days. A lot had happened to Lana the past two years. Her ex-boyfriend's death, finding and then losing her biological father, Lex's own temporary bout with insanity, and last but not least a farm boy named Clark Kent.

Lex had watched Lana gradually evolve from an innocent and optimistic girl into a somewhat jaded and burdened young woman. He felt a little sad to witness Lana's loss of innocence. Yet despite all the obstacles, she soldiered on. Her innocence had been slowly replaced by a quiet determination. It was that determination that had convinced Lex to begin this joint venture with Lana in the first place. But he still didn't want her to lose her innocence completely.

He walked up to the bar. When Lana spotted him, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for coming Lex," she said, "I didn't know who else to turn to."

"It's alright Lana," he reassured her, "I trust you instincts. If you're nervous about Adam, I'm sure it's with good reason."

Lex had his own reasons to be nervous about Adam. He investigated Adam's background when Adam first moved into the apartment above the Talon. What he found was a picture perfect record. In fact, it was a little too perfect. Almost as if someone had doctored it up. Now, with the information that Lana had given him over the phone earlier, Lex had a nagging suspicion that Adam was a spy working for another Luthor.

"Is there anything concrete you can tell me?" he added.

"No not really," she stammered, "just the journal that I told you about and his attitude."

"Don't worry," he answered, "I'll take care of it."

As he turn around to leave Lana called out to him, "Lex, I looked into tenant laws and it can take up to six months to get him out. And I'm not willing to wait that long."

He moved towards her with the grace of a leopard ready to pounce. He gave her apredatorysmirkand said, "Believe me, there are definitely ways of getting rid of someone a lot faster than that."

And if Adam was doing what he suspected, Lex resolved that neither Adam nor Lionel Luthor would be safe from his wrath.

While she watched Lex walk out of the Talon, Lana had a stunned look on her face, not wanting to know what methods he would resort to in order to get rid of Adam.

* * *

Lionel Luthor stood at the bottom of the elevator shaft. He ran his hands against the metallic surface of the demolished elevator cab, tracing the edges of the gaping hole in its side. Then he stared at what used to be the elevator security camera, which now looked like a glob of molten plastic.

"Quite an intriguing puzzle," he said to himself.

"So how did you do it Clark Kent?"

Lionel had watched the security tapes. Before the elevator's camera inexplicably melted, it showed that Clark and another girl were in the elevator as it began to fall. According to the Luthorcorp security guards, neither of them got out when the elevator temporarily stopped before resuming its express trip to the sub-basement.

Clark had performed a disappearing act that would have made Houdini proud, and Lionel needed to find out how. But who could tell Lionel what he needed to know? He was too smart to approach Clark directly. That would only serve to raise the ire of Lex, and he didn't need Lex barking up his tree.

So Lionel would get his answers from the only other person who witnessed what happened in that elevator. He needed to get his hands on Ms. Alicia Baker.


	2. Chapter 2: Convergence

**Twist of Fate**

**Chapter 2: Convergence**

Clark picked up his pace, trying to catch up with Alicia as she walked towards the front doors of Smallville High. The events of the day before swirled in his mind. There was someone out there who knew his secret. Someone who actually understood what it was like to be as different as he was. And she had shared her own secret to save him.

"Alicia, hold on!" he called out.

Alicia looked back. When she saw Clark's face, a feeling of warmth filled her chest and a small smile began to form on her lips.

As he caught up with her Clark continued, "With all the excitement yesterday I didn't get a chance to thank you."

"Oh, it was my pleasure," she said, grinning. "It's actually kind of a relief to share my abilities with someone."

In an attempt at levity Clark joked, "Is that what it takes to be friends with you?"

Suddenly Alicia's smile vanished, and Clark knew he had just shot himself in the foot once again. 'What is it with my stupid mouth when it comes to this girl?' he thought to himself.

To his surprise, Alicia's smile returned at half mast as she tried to roll with his comment by saying, "I guess I deserved that… I'm not really as stuck up as everyone thinks."

Clark feigned surprise at the revelation that many people at school thought she was a snob. Alicia could sense that he was just being nice for her sake and decided to put all the pretenses aside.

With a serious look she turned to him and said, "What, you think I don't know what people say about me?"

"It doesn't bother you, huh?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm always afraid that if I get too close to people, they'll find out about me, realize I'm a freak," she mentioned with a brief flash of sadness in her eyes.

"I just figure it's better to be alone, even if people think I'm a snob," Alicia finished with resignation in her voice.

Clark's heart went out to her. He knew all too well the sense of isolation that resulted from having abilities like theirs. He wanted her to feel as if her abilities were a gift and something that he accepted… something she didn't need to be ashamed of.

As they continued to walk side by side he inquired, "You don't mind if I ask… have you always been able to…"

"No," she interjected, "it was the meteor shower. One minute I was swinging on the swing set, next thing I knew I was in the middle of a corn field."

"Do you know how it happened?" he pressed on.

"Sort of," Alicia continued, "once I was old enough to realize I was different, I did some research and…"

As they were about to enter the school building, Clark held open one of the doors for her.

"Thank you," she smiled and quickly lost her train of thought as she stared into Clark's eyes. Suddenly her insecurity took hold of her.

"Um," she stammered, "I don't know… there's a complicated explanation about quantum physics. You'd probably be bored."

She couldn't believe that someone like Clark was actually interested in who she was, even the part of her that wasn't normal. She didn't want to push her luck by bothering him with what most people considered science fiction mumbo jumbo. But Clark wasn't most people.

"No," he encouraged her with an attentive smile, "try me."

"Basically," she answered not wanting to disappoint an eager-looking Clark, "the meteor shower affected my body and allowed me to control my molecules in such a way that I can teleport myself-"

"-and anything you touch," Clark finished for her, remembering what she did in the elevator.

"Anything I touch that I want to take with me, yes."

Alicia just couldn't stop smiling. She feared that she looked like an absolute gawking fool in front of him. Ironically, Clark thought the same thing about himself.

In an attempt to deflect the attention on her expression she asked, "What about you, was it meteor exposure too?"

Clark hesitated. It wasn't quite the right time to reveal that he was an intergalactic refugee, but he really didn't want to lie either. So he didn't lie… at least not technically.

"Everything's pretty much connected to the meteor shower, right?" he wryly admitted.

Alicia smiled and responded, "Right," believing that hers and Clark's abilities shared the same origin.

They continued to smile at each other, happy with the knowledge that they understood and connected with each other in a way that no one else could. For a few moments, they were the only people that existed in each other's minds in the otherwise crowded hallway. Then the school bell rang, knocking them out of their reverie. Alicia began to step backwards away from Clark to get to her classes.

"I just can't believe that you're like me," she beamed at him.

"I mean not exactly like me," she added in a futile attempt to find the right words.

"But just," she stuttered as Clark encouraged her to finish with a smile of his own, "like me, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," he beamed back.

Totally disarmed by his smile, Alicia awkwardly waved to Clark as she said "Bye" and turned to head towards her class.

Clark continued to grin as he watched Alicia's form walk into the crowd.

After his secrets had effectively sabotaged his attempted relationship with Lana, Clark had begun to believe that he was meant to be alone. Although he loved Lana with all his heart, he was always afraid that his powers and origins would create an overwhelming burden that would continually put her in danger. Not to mention the possibility that Lana wouldn't accept him at all if she found out just how different he was. But now, he had finally found someone who truly understood what it was like to be different and to have to hide it from the world. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.

* * *

Adam burned with pain. His body was deteriorating fast. If he didn't get a dose of serum soon, he would die. Adam had actually been pronounced dead several months prior due to a rare liver disease. However, an experimental serum developed by Luthorcorp had brought him back to life by regenerating the tissue in his liver… temporarily. In order to keep himself alive, Adam needed frequent doses of the serum.

He sat in the dark room strapped down to an examination chair, wondering if anyone would come for him at all. Just as he thought he would be left to die, the room's white fluorescent lights began to flicker to life. The eerie white glow outlined the dark silhouette of a trim, long-haired man. Adam knew exactly who that silhouette belonged to.

Lionel Luthor emerged out of the shadows and leisurely strode towards Adam. He began to speak in a relaxed yet cutting tone.

"Adam, why did I send you to Smallville, hmm?"

Lionel loomed over him and continued, "To become the best friend of Lana Lang. To find out everything that she knew about Clark Kent, wasn't that it? But instead, you have alienated her completely."

With all the pain in his body, Adam could only manage to mutter weakly, "Please, help me."

"Mr. Nash," Lionel responded, using Adam's real name from a previous life, "I normally don't give second chances to abject failures such as yourself."

"But luckily for you," he resumed nonchalantly, "I need someone with certain special characteristics and abilities for my next task. As far as characteristics are concerned, I need someone with no record of ever having existed."

"And, since you technically no longer exist," Lionel leered wickedly as he held up a vial of green liquid to Adam's face, "then all you need are some new… abilities."

* * *

Chloe strode into the Torch office, coffee mug in hand. There were few things she loved more than the smell and taste of fresh coffee in the morning. She was so enraptured by the intoxicating fumes of her morning beverage that she almost didn't notice Lana sitting transfixed in front of one of the Torch's computer terminals. Chloe stopped at her desk, which was about ten feet to the right of where Lana was sitting. She absently ran a hand through her flippy golden hair, wondering what her roommate was doing in the Torch office so early.

Lana continued to stare intently at the computer screen, small wrinkles forming on her forehead. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that it didn't seem like she even realized she was no longer alone in the office.

Chloe noticed Lana's obliviousness to her surroundings and her lips began to curl up into a mischievous grin. She quietly reached into her green messenger bag and pulled out her constant companion for the past week, a mini squirt gun. Chloe kept the gun out of Lana's line of sight until she stepped in range. She began to raise the gun to take aim.

All of a sudden Lana quickly spun her head to face Chloe, her piercing hazel eyes focused on Chloe's surprised bright green ones. Previously too distracted and amused by Lana's seemingly oblivious state, Chloe had failed to notice that Lana had her own squirt gun concealed in her left hand. A hand that had been blocked from Chloe's vision the entire time.

'That sneaky little wench,' Chloe thought, 'she knew I was here all along!'

In what seemed like slow motion, the two friends pointed their squirt guns at each other and fired, simultaneously yelling, "Assassin!" Both girls were true to their mark and thoroughly doused their intended targets, shrieking the entire time.

"Okay, okay, enough!" yelled Lana through her laughter.

"Ohhh…I got you first!" shouted Chloe.

"What?" responded Lana, "You totally fell into my trap!"

"Too bad your trap had the reflexes of a drunken South American tree sloth!" snarked Chloe.

"Well, maybe we got each other at the same time," Lana conceded.

"Then which one of us is going to take home the grand prize for school-wide assassin?" Chloe lamented.

"I am," said a chuckling voice by the doorway.

"Pete!" yelled Chloe and Lana in unison.

"You should see the both of you right now," he said, bent over in laughter.

As he walked towards them he chortled, "It looks like a wet t-shirt contest during spring br-"

Before he could finish, Pete noticed that Chloe and Lana were looking straight at him with narrowed eyes and extremely perturbed looks on their faces. Without taking their eyes off him, they raised their squirt guns and pulled the triggers.

Like a man that just found out he had stepped on a landmine, Pete resignedly uttered, "Crap," as the water splattered all over his outfit.

Lana and Chloe burst into uncontrollable laughter, leaving Pete looking completely dejected. Without a word, Pete raised his hands up in surrender, turned about face, and walked straight out the door towards the boys' restroom. This sent the girls literally to the floor, clutching their sides as if they were going to burst.

As their laughter subsided, Chloe glanced at the computer screen Lana had been ogling so intensely when she had walked in. It displayed the family trees of the Kawatche Indian tribe that was native to their part of Kansas. Chloe's natural curiosity was piqued.

"What's this?" asked Chloe.

"Oh," Lana answered, "that's part of the genealogy project I have for history class. We're supposed to trace as many branches of our family tree as far back as possible."

"So," Chloe deduced, "I take it that you have some Kawatche Indian ancestors?"

"Actually, yes," replied Lana with a sense of reverent excitement, "I just found out that one of my great great grandmothers was full-blooded Kawatche."

"Wow," Chloe joked, "I guess that takes your being a Smallville local to a whole different level."

In response, Lana just smirked and stuck her tongue out at Chloe while crossing her eyes. Shocked by Lana's uncharacteristically un-ladylike behavior, the girls started cracking up all over again.

* * *

How hard could a physics lab project be? For Alicia Baker, a self-proclaimed science geek, it shouldn't have been hard at all. But her aptitude for science suddenly deserted her whenever thoughts of a plaid-wearing farm boy entered her mind. She stared blankly at the set-up on her lab station. In her present state, a sea otter with a rock could have managed a better display of physics knowledge. Just as she was about to curse Clark for turning her into the poster child for remedial science, she caught sight of a red plaid shirt walking into the physics lab.

As soon as Clark caught sight of her, his face burst into a barely-contained smile. Alicia consciously reminded herself to maintain her composure and not accidentally kill her newfound crush with a physics lab implement.

"Alicia," he called out as he approached, "I've been looking all over for you."

"Yeah," she joked, "you figured teleporting girl… physics lab. Makes sense, pretty good deduction."

She then gave him a teasing look and said, "But I should warn you Clark, I'm not always that easy to pin down."

Clark gulped, unwilling to believe that perhaps the most beautiful girl in the school not named Lana Lang was actually flirting with him.

"So I've seen," he nervously replied, followed by a momentary silence.

Summoning all his remaining courage he continued, "But since I've been this lucky I was just wondering if you would like to get together… you know, for the econ test."

Seeing her opportunity she asked, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"A Date? No," he answered without thinking.

Suddenly realizing his mistake, he stuttered, "not that I wouldn't, but uhh…"

Sensing that Clark was too nervous to take the first step, Alicia decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Clark," she smiled while closing the distance between them, "would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Clark answered her question with the most brilliant smile she had ever seen.

Lana wandered the halls looking for Clark. She needed to warn him about Adam. In an ironic twist, she saw that her entanglement with Adam might have actually given her the opportunity she needed to start rebuilding her relationship with Clark. At that thought, she felt her heart lighten and a new spring entered her step. Her raised spirits were only reinforced as she saw Clark walking out of the physics lab, grinning ear to ear. She remembered when Clark used to give her that very smile everyday.

Clark was so caught up in his planned date with Alicia that Lana was virtually on top of him before he noticed her.

With a playful smile she quipped, "Did you just win the lotto?"

Taken completely off guard by her sudden appearance in front of him he stammered, "Wh-what?"

"It's just that I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time," Lana replied with a nostalgic tone in her voice.

Clark's smile dropped as he was abruptly reminded of just how far apart he and Lana had drifted from each other. Regretting what he had lost, he wished there were some way to go back to the time before his secrets had completely obliterated their relationship.

Sensing the sudden change in him, Lana quickly interjected. "I uh… I don't want to spoil your mood, but I wanted to tell you something about Adam."

At the mention of Adam's name, Clark's sprang into concerned attentiveness.

"What is it?" he asked.

"He's been keeping a journal about me… and you. And I don't know if it's because he's jealous or if he's obsessed about us… or if it's more about you."

"Well," he protectively offered, "I'll go talk to him."

Lana could see Clark starting to go into full-out protector mode. Adam was her problem and she needed to tell Clark that she had it under control.

"Clark," she reassured him, "no… I'm gonna have him evicted. I don't think he'll be bothering either of us anymore. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lana noticed Alicia approaching Clark from behind, beaming at him the whole time.

She was stunned as she saw Alicia place her hand on Clark's shoulder and say, "See you at seven?"

When she saw Clark return Alicia's smile, Lana felt as if she had been stabbed in the gut.

In truth, Alicia felt a little threatened by Lana. She knew that Lana and Clark had dated briefly the year before and rumor had it that they still pined for each other. However, Lana had been nothing but nice to Alicia all year, and she felt bad about thinking of her as a rival.

So Alicia put on the most genuine smile she could and greeted her.

"Hey Lana," she said while walking by, trying to escape the situation as fast as possible.

For her part, Lana was too shell-shocked to provide a response. As she witnessed Clark and Alicia exchange affectionate glances once more from a distance, all she could do was look at Clark with a wounded expression. Although she felt that she had no right to him, Lana hoped that he hadn't already shut her out of his heart completely. She continued to look at him, searching for an explanation.

Clark noticed a flash of hurt in Lana's eyes. Some part of him felt guilty for going on a date with Alicia. That part of him still saw Lana as the girl of his dreams. After all, he believed that it was his fault that his and Lana's relationship didn't work out. He had done so much to hurt her. And now he had hurt her again. Not wanting to see Lana in pain anymore, Clark reflexively downplayed the nature of his date with Alicia.

"We're in the same econ class," he explained guiltily.

Just by looking in his eyes, Lana knew Clark wasn't being entirely truthful. Part of her truly felt glad to see him seemingly happy again. Yet an even bigger part of her felt like it was about to crumble to pieces. She needed to keep it together and not break down in front of him. She didn't want Clark to beat up on himself for reducing her to tears. Besides, she thought, who was she to spoil Clark's chance at happiness, even if it wasn't with her?

Lana put on the best smile for Clark she could muster in order to keep the tears at bay. She then quickly turned and dashed down the hall towards the parking lot, leaving Clark with a conflicted look on his face.

Lana didn't shed a single tear until she was inside her car. As she put her maroon Jeep Liberty into gear, she wanted to be as far away from anyone as possible. With tears streaming down her face, Lana headed for the outskirts of Smallville. In no time, she was surrounded by nothing but endless fields and farm land.

As she attempted to choke back her sobs, Lana decided to pull over to the side of the road. She stepped out of her SUV and took a deep breath to calm herself. That was when she finally noticed where she was standing. In her daze, she had somehow managed to drive herself to the site of the Kawatche caves.

She remembered that at this time last year, she learned that Whitney, her ex-boyfriend, had been killed while serving his tour of duty with the Marines. She had sought out Clark in the Kawatche caves for comfort. There, Clark promised her that he would never leave her. He had said he wasn't going anywhere. She wanted so badly to believe him then. The broken promise of that night seemed like an eternity ago.

Lana began walking towards the cave entrance. For some reason, she felt that coming to the caves would somehow bring Clark closer to her again. Perhaps she was just seeking some sense of familiarity or a memory of Clark to hold on to. Or perhaps there was something else calling to her. As she entered the cave, she looked at the drawings on the walls with awe. The ancient pictographs never ceased to amaze her.

One symbol in particular caught her attention. It looked like a circle with a vertical line attached to its right side. At the tip of the vertical line was a dot. Inside the circle was what appeared to be another symbol that looked like a figure eight. When she thought about it, the symbol resembled a lower case "d" that contained a number "8" inside it.

Lana felt an irresistible urge to touch the symbol. Unable to resist the magnetic pull any longer, she grazed the symbol with her fingertip. Almost as if in response to her touch, it

glowed to life. In an instant, she was engulfed by a flash of brilliant white light.


	3. Chapter 3: Awakenings

**Twist of Fate**

**Chapter 3: Awakenings**

Lana stood blinded by the blazing light. She lifted her left forearm to shield her eyes while feeling for the cave wall with her right hand. Expecting the wall to be directly in front of her, she stumbled forward when her hand felt nothing but air. Lana kept trying to find a purchase on the cave walls that should have surrounded her. Instead, she found herself grasping at an empty void.

Her rising panic momentarily subsided as a random memory suddenly popped into her head. About a year and a half ago, Chloe had affectionately dubbed her with the nickname of "Dorothy" after she miraculously survived being sucked up into a tornado. Even to this day, no matter how illogical or crazy it seemed, Lana still believed that Clark Kent was the one person responsible for her survival. Given her situation, the memories of her two trouble-seeking best friends gave her something to hang onto for comfort.

"I guess we're not in Kansas anymore," Lana joked to herself in an effort to keep from freaking out completely.

As she attempted to open her eyes against the blinding light, she heard a female voice.

"Lana," it gently called out to her.

For some reason she couldn't put her finger on, the voice seemed familiar and soothing. Attempting to find the source of the sound, Lana looked into the distance and spotted a dark female silhouette approaching her. At first she couldn't distinguish the features of the figure's face against the backdrop of the blinding light. But as the figure came to a stop a few steps in front of her, it blocked just enough of the light for Lana to take a good look. She felt her jaw drop when she realized who stood before her.

"Aunt Louise?" Lana whispered in disbelief.

Louise gave Lana a gentle yet somewhat mischievous smile before saying, "The one and only."

Lana couldn't help but notice just how much she physically resembled her great-aunt. For as long as she could remember, her aunt Nell had constantly reminded her that she was the spitting image of her departed aunt Louise. Lana racked her brain for explanations of how she could possibly be talking to her long-dead relative.

"But I thought you died over forty years ago?"

"That doesn't mean that I can't still watch over my family," Louise replied matter-of-factly.

"How?" Lana asked, suddenly filled with hope that somehow her parents were watching over her as well.

Louise's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Lana," she urged, "I need you to listen to me carefully. Your actions could determine the fate of everyone you hold dear."

"I don't understand," replied Lana skeptically, "what makes you think that I'm capable of determining anyone else's future?"

"Because," Louise explained, "your heart holds sway over the greatest force this world will ever see."

It was all Lana could do to keep herself from giving Louise an utterly incredulous look. Not only was she talking to a ghost, she thought, but a crazy one at that. Before Lana could dwell on the absurdity of her situation any further, Louise persisted with an even greater sense of urgency.

"There isn't much time Lana. I know that there are a lot of questions in your life that you feel you need answers to."

Lana nodded, suddenly reminded of the shrouds of secrecy she continually encountered in Smallville. Her thoughts centered around Clark.

"The answers you seek are written on the cave walls," Louise continued. "Once you decipher their meanings, everything will fall into place."

"The cave walls? But I don't even know where to start," Lana said.

Louise responded, "Trust in him. Follow your heart…" Lana's expression blanched. Could Louise really be talking about Clark?

A knowing smile spread across Louise's face as she finished, "… I know I did."

Lana knew that Louise could only be referring to the drifter she had fallen in love with shortly before her death in 1961. She wondered exactly how Louise's drifter was connected to Clark.

Louise then pulled out from her pocket a metallic pendant attached to a necklace.

She held it out towards Lana and said, "I want you to have this Lana. Keep it with you always. You'll need it when the time comes."

The metal of the pendant and necklace was unlike anything Lana had ever seen before. As soon as Lana saw the shape of the pendant, she recognized it as the symbol on the cave wall.

"That's the symbol from the cave!" Lana exclaimed.

Looking at it with great interest she inquired, "What does it represent?"

As Louise began to wrap the necklace around Lana's neck, she simply answered, "You. Me. Our line."

"Our line?" asked Lana.

Louise clasped the necklace in place. Lana looked down to her collar and noticed the pendant beginning to glow. The next instant, a blinding light erupted from the pendant and engulfed her. At the same time a stream of images flooded into Lana's mind. The images were of memories that had once belonged to Louise, yet some of them made absolutely no sense to Lana. She saw a man moving faster than the eye can see. Bullets bouncing off him like water. Louise in his arms, soaring through the clouds.

* * *

Adam slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at his arms and saw that he was still strapped down to the same examination chair. How long was he unconscious for?  
The last thing he remembered, he was being injected with a green serum by a Luthorcorp scientist.

"Ah," said a familiar yet reviled voice, "I'm glad to see that you survived the procedure Mr. Nash."

"What have you done to me Lionel!" screamed Adam.

Lionel leaned over until he was eye to eye with Adam and smirked, "Let's just say that I've moved you up the evolutionary ladder."

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked.

Lionel stood back up and began to circle Adam like a shark surveying its prey.

"The experimental serum I've injected you with has imbued you with capabilities far beyond most normal humans. Among the perks are heightened sensory and physical capabilities."

He came to a stop in front of Adam to see the shocked expression on his prisoner's face.

Amused at Adam's confusion he teased, "What, you didn't notice?"

Adam collected himself and tried to concentrate. Now that his grogginess had worn off, he realized that he did feel different. It felt like a low fire was invading his veins. He could even hear Lionel's heartbeat. Despite the darkness around him, everything he looked at seemed ten times clearer. The chemical stench of the lab assaulted his senses. Now, all he needed to try out were these supposed physical capabilities Lionel mentioned.

An evil smile crossed Adam's face as he said, "Thanks for pointing that out to me… Lionel."

Like a striking lion, Adam exploded out of the lab chair, completely shattering his restraints. He dashed towards Lionel. With one hand he violently grabbed Lionel by the throat, lifting him up into the air and then slamming the older man into the wall.

To his surprise, all Lionel did was laugh.

"Very good," he chocked out between his sarcastic chuckles, "the experiment worked better than I expected."

Lionel's display of nonchalance completely enraged Adam. He was acting as if he couldn't even hurt him. Adam desperately wanted to see if this was in fact the case. He pulled back his free hand, winding up to punch Lionel's head through the wall. But before he could deliver the death blow, Lionel decided to mock him one more time.

With the same sardonic grin on his face Lionel taunted, "Now Mr. Nash, watch your temper. You wouldn't want to kill the only man capable of prolonging your life, would you?"

Adam restrained himself although it was the last thing he wanted to do. Noticing that Adam was willing to listen, Lionel continued.

"So, you think that your liver will heal itself just because of your newfound powers? You still need the liver regeneration serum to survive, and I'm the only one that can give it to you. If you kill me, nothing can save you from an excruciating death."

Lionel was right. He couldn't kill him now. Perhaps he would get his chance later, once he had a well thought-out plan of action. But for the time being, Adam needed to play along and bide his time. He slowly lowered Lionel to the ground and removed his hand from his throat. Lionel straightened his tie and jacket, giving Adam a condescending grin the entire time.

"Now that we have that out of the way," Lionel spoke calmly, "here's what I need you to do."

Lionel walked to a nearby desk and retrieved a file folder. He placed the folder in Adam's hands. Adam flipped it open and saw a picture of Alicia Baker. Lionel then began to explain the assignment.

"I need you to conduct some reconnaissance on Ms. Baker. Find out everything she knows about Clark Kent. The details are in the file."

"This shouldn't be a problem," Adam reassured him.

"But remember," warned Lionel, "there are certain conditions to this task. You cannot alert Ms. Baker or Clark Kent to the fact that they are being watched. Until the time come to strike, you need to remain in the shadows. I don't want any repeats of the mistakes you made with Ms. Lang. Understood?"

With a cold expression on his face Adam replied, "Of course."

* * *

Chloe Sullivan glanced at her watch and then looked up at her front door. She wished she had her camera so that she could capture the moment for posterity.

"I'm home from school before 4PM," she joked to herself, "dad and I should commemorate this with some kind of annual holiday or something."

True, Chloe rarely ever did come home from school before nightfall due to the Torch. But today, she went straight home. Just to see her dad.

Ever since Lionel forced Lex's hand into firing her father from Luthorcorp, Gabe Sullivan took on a job in neighboring Granville to make ends meet. Being the only adult breadwinner in a house with two teenage girls was not an economically cheap venture. Lana did what she could to help by contributing a significant amount of her profits from the Talon. At first Gabe refused to accept her earnings, rationalizing that Lana was still a kid, as well as a guest.

But as money got tighter, Lana's persistence won out. She claimed that since she was living under their roof, it was the least she could do for her adopted family. Despite all the past disagreements and secrets that Chloe and Lana had concerning Clark, the rest of their friendship still remained strong. In many ways Chloe's decision to bring Lana into the household now seemed like a godsend. Without Lana's help, Chloe doubted that she and her dad could have remained above water financially.

Gabe's new job entailed 8-hour weekend shifts and 12-hour night shifts during the week, which meant that he normally left home by 5PM. With her dad's new work schedule, Chloe rarely ever got to see him at all. That was why she rushed home from school today just to spend some quality time with him.

As she twisted her key and opened the front door, Chloe yelled into the living room.

"Dad, I'm home!"

There was no response. She deposited her messenger bag on the couch and called out again.

"Dad? I have a date tonight with this great guy," she joked in an attempt to get a reaction, "he's got about twelve piercings and fifty tattoos! He's so hot!"

Still nothing. That joke should have sent her dad running in with a taser aimed at any would-be suitor, not that she had any at the moment.

A wave of worry rapidly overtook her. What if something happened to him? What if Lionel had decided to retaliate even further? She strode swiftly into the kitchen, continuing to call for her dad. Once she reached the refrigerator, she saw a big yellow note in her dad's unmistakably bad handwriting. It was addressed to his "girls," telling them that he left home early for a job interview and that he was going to his shift immediately afterwards.

Chloe let out a sigh of relief knowing that her dad was safe. Her relief, however, was quickly followed by a feeling of disappointment.

"Great," she said out loud, "my dad decides to skip out on daytime television the one day I break the laws of nature and come home before sundown."

Then the doorbell rang.

"Wonderful," she added, "now on top of that I have trick-or-treaters."

Chloe stomped towards the front door and opened it. She was greeted with a bouquet of red roses in the hands of a flower delivery boy.

"Chloe Sullivan?" he asked.

"That's me," she answered.

"These are for you," he said as he handed her the bouquet and began to leave.

"Thanks," she responded, bewildered as to who would be sending her flowers. God knows, Clark and Pete only sent her flowers if a trip to the hospital was involved. And she didn't particularly feel like lounging in Smallville Medical Center anytime soon.

When she turned the bouquet in her hands, she noticed a card taped to the side. She opened the card and began reading its type-written contents.

The card read:

Ms. Sullivan,

Here's to rekindling our partnership. It's not yet too late for you to reconsider our agreement. Give my regards to your father. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Best,  
L

Lionel Luthor. Chloe's face fell into a scowl and her hands began trembling. She couldn't stand that Lionel had the gall to mock her family's suffering while delivering veiled threats. She hated having to constantly look over her shoulder, wondering when he would strike next. Worst of all, she blamed herself. She should have known better than to make a deal with a treacherous snake like Lionel.

"Bastard!" she screamed as she hurled the bouquet against the front porch. Rose petals and stems scattered everywhere while the card flew up momentarily in the air, caught in the wind.

The card eventually landed off to the side, next to a brown paper package resting on the far corner of the porch. Chloe had failed to notice the package when she walked in earlier, since it was nowhere near the door. Surprised by its appearance, she wondered why someone would place a package where it would be hard to notice.

She walked up to it and eyed it suspiciously. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the package was addressed to her and that it was slightly bigger than a CD case. There was no return address. Afraid that it was one of Lionel's traps, Chloe wasn't sure whether to open it or throw it away.

After a few seconds of deliberation, her reporter's instincts and natural curiosity won out. She picked up the package and tore into the wrapping. It contained a DVD and a note.

The note said: "Chloe, I thought you might find this information useful. Take care of yourself and watch your back. –a friend"

Chloe's brow furrowed as she read the note. Who could possibly be trying to help her? She just hoped that it wasn't another one Lionel's twisted games. And if the DVD wasn't from Lionel, how could she be sure that she could trust this "friend"?

Unable to put off seeing the contents of the DVD any longer, she hurried into the house and found her laptop. After placing the DVD into her disc drive, the video began to play. The video looked like it was taken from black and white security footage of the Luthorcorp building in Metropolis. The footage showed the inside of an elevator car. Chloe recognized the distinctive markings and Luthorcorp logos inside the elevators from the other day's field trip. When she glanced at the date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the security feed, she realized that the video was actually taken at the same time as her field trip to the Luthorcorp building.

Chloe watched intently as the video showed the elevator doors open. Her interest truly piqued when she saw Clark and Alicia step through the doors. She almost laughed when she saw Clark turn into a complete dork around Alicia. After a couple of seconds, the elevator car shook violently and Chloe could tell the elevator was falling rapidly. Then she saw Clark look directly into the camera. For a moment, she could have sworn that she saw his eyes glow before the footage suddenly cut and turned into static.

"What the hell just happened?" she said to herself. Did Clark actually somehow short circuit the camera just by looking at it? And what was with his glowing eyes?

Chloe snapped her attention back to the computer when she saw another image flash onto the screen. The footage before her was no longer of the elevator security camera. Instead, it was a video from a handheld camera. In the frame, she could see the back of Lionel Luthor intently observing something. He was looking at the wreckage of the elevator car.

What she saw next made her jaw drop. Lionel was concentrating on a watermelon-sized hole in the side of the car. It looked as if someone had punched right through it. But how? Was this why Lionel was so interested in Clark? Now she wished that the elevator camera hadn't cut out when it did.

Reminded of the aforementioned security camera, she searched for its remains in the wreckage. She was instantly rewarded when the cameraman zoomed in to where the camera's protective bubble should have been. Instead of finding a shattered or broken casing, the footage revealed that the camera and its bubble had instead melted into hardened puddle of molten glass and plastic.

"Oh my god… Clark," she said to herself. Did Clark actually possess the power to punch through walls and melt things just by looking at them? How did he even escape the elevator with Alicia? After adding up all the facts, Chloe concluded that it was highly probable that Clark was affected by the meteor showers. Chloe mentally kicked herself for not figuring it out sooner. This explained so many of the things about Clark that didn't add up. No wonder he was so secretive. She now understood why he reacted so harshly whenever she tried to dig into his past. And to think that she had almost inadvertently sniffed him out while Lionel Luthor watched from a distance.

Chloe felt horrible. She had no idea that her curiosity about Clark's past had put her best friend in such danger. She needed to make amends. Meteor freak or not, she would protect him. After all, he was still her best friend. And she was still in love with him.

* * *

Clark just couldn't stop himself from grinning ear to ear. Alicia sat next to him in his red pickup truck, talking enthusiastically about the movie they had just seen. As he drove through the back roads of Smallville, Clark couldn't remember a time when he felt more normal, without a care in the world. With Alicia, he didn't feel like he had to worry about his secret or his powers. He knew she understood what it was like. For once, he could just be himself around a girl.

Alicia turned to him and gave him a warm smile.

"I really had fun tonight Clark."

"Me too," he concurred with a smile of his own.

Being with Clark made Alicia feel like she could finally let her hair down and open up to someone else.

She brushed some of her blond strands out of her face and said, "It's nice to cut loose for once, you know? Not having to worry about what the other person's going to think about you… whether they'll freak out or not."

"Tell me about it," he quipped, "at least you never had to worry about accidentally setting your dates on fire."

Clark nearly bit his tongue as soon as he realized what he had just said. He couldn't believe that he already felt so comfortable with Alicia that he let a reference to one of his other powers slip. He could only hope that she didn't pick up on it.

"Oh believe me," she joked back, not initially catching on to Clark's admission, "there were times when I wish I could do just that."

But then the reality of Clark's statement sank in a split second later.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean about setting your dates on fire?" she asked excitedly. "Is that how you fried the security camera inside the elevator?"

He was busted and he knew it.

"Um… yeah," he confessed.

"How did you do it?" Alicia asked with true curiosity in her eyes.

Shyly Clark explained, "I can shoot beams of heat from my eyes."

"That's amazing," she replied, admiration written all over her face.

It was the first time in his life that a girl had ever looked at him with such admiration because of his abilities. It was funny how Alicia's acceptance made him feel like he belonged somewhere. For a few moments they rode in silence, content to enjoy each other's presence.

"I don't mean to pry," Alicia said, breaking the silence, "but does Lana know what you can do?"

The topic of Lana was a sore subject that he normally didn't want to talk about, but Clark surprised himself yet again with his candor towards Alicia.

"No," he divulged, "that was actually one of the main issues in our relationship. I could never be completely honest with her."

Alicia felt sorry for both Clark and Lana. She knew how hard it was to bridge the gap between two people that were so fundamentally different from each other.

"Well," she wished out loud, "I hope you can eventually feel comfortable enough around me to tell me things."

Clark gave her a sincere look and said, "I kind of already am."

She felt relieved at Clark's answer and replied, "That's nice to know. I feel the same way about you."

Now it was Clark's turn to ask the questions.

"So how about you," he inquired, "any boyfriends?"

A pained look momentarily flashed across Alicia's face and Clark thought he had stuck his foot in his mouth yet again. But Alicia decided to bite the bullet and spill the beans.

"There was somebody I used to go out with. I really liked him. But he stopped talking to me when he found out what I could do."

Clark reached out and squeezed her hand to comfort her. Alicia squeezed back, accepting his gesture.

Stopping at a stop sign, he looked deeply into her eyes and said, "This guy… he obviously doesn't know that he's missing out on something great."

Alicia found it impossible to tear her eyes away from Clark's as she felt her jaw drop.

Afraid that he had offended her Clark asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she softly interjected, "it's just… that's the sweetest thing anybody's ever said to me."

Clark smiled and squeezed her hand again in reassurance as he continued driving down the road.

A couple of minutes later they arrived at Alicia's house. True to his gentlemanly upbringing, Clark opened Alicia's door and helped her out of the truck.

Impressed by his chivalry all night, Alicia gave him an appreciative "Thank you."

She honestly didn't know how a girl could possibly do better than Clark Kent. Who in their right mind would turn down god-like good looks, a kind heart, impeccable manners, and super powers to boot? Definitely not her.

As they walked towards the house, Clark noticed that the lights were on.

"Looks like somebody stayed up to wait for you," he observed.

"Yeah," she confirmed, "my parents are a little overprotective."

"Really?" he questioned.

Alicia sighed and answered, "They just worry about me using my powers in public. They're afraid some mad scientist might try to take me away."

She then started giggling as she thought out loud, "Although I don't see how anyone would actually be able to catch me."

Clark laughed alongside her, recalling what she told him in the physics lab.

"Like you said," he teased, "you are a hard person to pin down."

"Except when you're around," she replied with a mischievous grin that caused Clark to blush.

Sensing his embarrassment, Alicia took a hold of both of Clark's hands and stared into his eyes.

"I had a great time tonight," she told him.

"Me too," he whispered.

Alicia closed the distance between them.

"I'm really glad I met you Clark."

Clark leaned in closer towards her lips.

"Same here."

For an instant, Clark's mind flashed with guilt as he remembered Lana's stricken look from earlier in the day. He wondered whether he should really be doing this with Alicia.  
But as he looked into Alicia's longing and accepting eyes, he told himself that he wanted to stop living his life full of regrets. So he gave in and let the moment overwhelm him.

He gently held her waist with one hand while he splayed his other hand across the middle of her back, eliciting an involuntary gasp from Alicia. In response, Alicia wrapped one arm around his shoulder and began running her other hand's fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

He could feel her heartbeat quicken as she slowly pulled him closer. Her eyes fluttered shut as their lips met in a sweet yet passionate kiss. Clark gently tightened his embrace as the kiss deepened. Their lips lingered for a moment, savoring each other before slowly pulling apart.

A smile of contentment crept across Alicia's face as she slowly opened her eyes. Clark didn't want to let her go just yet, but he knew her parents were waiting for her inside. He loosened his embrace and instead decided to hold her hands as they faced each other.

"Good night," she said with a genuine grin, "call me tomorrow?"

"Sure," he smiled before whispering, "good night."

Alicia opened her front door and stepped inside her house, unable to look away from Clark the entire time. For his part, Clark never took his eyes off Alicia as he walked down the front steps of the porch, nearly tumbling to the ground in the process. She let out a small laugh as he bumbled his way off her front porch and towards his truck. They exchanged one last glance and waved goodbye to each other before Clark entered his truck.

Clark started the engine and put the truck in gear before turning right off Alicia's driveway. While driving down Alicia's street, a wave of nausea and sharp pain momentarily seized Clark. But as quickly as it appeared, the wave passed as he continued driving. He assumed that there must have been kryptonite in the area and decided to play it safe by driving straight home. However, the source of his discomfort wasn't kryptonite at all. Unbeknownst to Clark, Adam stood motionless in the woods just off Alicia's street, less than a hundred yards from her house. From his position, Adam listened intently into Alicia's bedroom.

With a smirk on his face, he slowly shook his head from side to side as he heard her say to herself, "Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming!"

* * *

Still flying high from his kiss with Alicia, Clark drove towards the Kent Farm. He pulled out his cell phone to call his parents and tell them he was on his way home. Having left the phone on silent since the movie, Clark was shocked to see twelve voice messages from Chloe. He figured that whatever Chloe wanted must have been important, so he skipped listening to the messages and just called her instead.

The phone only rang once before Chloe picked up. Her voice was frantic, and Clark could immediately tell that something was wrong.

"Clark," she shouted hysterically, "where have you been? I've been trying to get in touch with you all night!"

"I was studying for my econ test with a friend and I turned my ringer off," he fibbed.

Clark visibly winced as he left out the part about the date with Alicia. He hated lying to Chloe.

"Have you heard from Lana at all today?" she quickly asked.

At the sound of Lana's name, Clark's stomach dropped. This couldn't be good.

"Not since I saw her at school. Why?"

"Lindsey from the Talon called me a few hours ago and told me that she missed her shift. Clark, she never misses a shift without telling someone where she is!" Chloe was shouting now, full of worry for her roommate.

Clark tried to remain calm in order to eliminate all the places where Lana could reasonably be found.

He asked Chloe, "Have you called all the places she could be in, relatives and friends?"

"Of course I did!" Chloe yelled, "I would have found her by now if she was with somebody we knew about!"

Clark's fears were confirmed. If Chloe hadn't found her by now, Lana was definitely missing.

"Okay Chloe, just calm down. It's better if we split up and search for her. We can cover more ground that way. Let's call each other in an hour if she hasn't turned up anywhere, okay?"

"Okay Clark," she responded, her composure returning to her voice. Chloe was confident that if anyone could find Lana, Clark could.

"Talk to you soon," he told her before hanging up.

As soon as he put his phone in his pocket, a sharp piercing sound cut through the air. Clark quickly pulled the truck over and covered his ears, feeling like his ear drums were going to burst. The sound reminded him of the key to his spaceship, yet it sounded slightly different. Triangulating the sound in his head, he determined its source was coming from the Kawatche caves. Clark stepped out of his truck and raced towards the cave at superspeed.

* * *

Lana stirred awake and found herself staring up into the ceiling of the Kawatche caves. She had a throbbing headache. Lana vowed to herself right then to cut down on her caffeine intake. To her unsettling surprise, vague images of Louise and the drifter floated through her head as if she were still waking from a dream. She chalked it all up to a bad REM cycle. She slowly sat up, closed her eyes, and held her aching head in her hands.

She told herself, "It must have been all a dream. It just had to be."

But then she opened her eyes and looked down to her sternum. Dangling from her neck was the same metallic pendant that Louise had given her in her visions.

For a moment, Lana questioned whether or not she was really conscious. She stuck a finger in her mouth and chomped down. Hard.

"Ow!" she yelped, flapping her injured finger back and forth in the air.

She was definitely awake now. Lana looked down again and saw the pendant still dangling there. Then it all hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my god," she said in complete shock, "this can't be happening."

Lana grabbed the pendant and held it tight in her fist. Oddly, she felt warmth start to radiate from the pendant, followed by a high-pitched ringing sound. Over several seconds, the sound grew in intensity until Lana's ears began to hurt. When Lana let go of the pendant to cover her ears, the ringing stopped. She was suddenly startled by someone else's voice in the cave.

"Lana?" someone called out from a distance.

She turned towards the voice and saw a familiar face emerge from the shadows.

"Clark?"


	4. Chapter 4: Entanglement

**Twist of Fate**

**Chapter 4: Entanglement**

Clark quickly rushed to Lana and knelt in front of her. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her dazed form.

"Lana, are you okay?" he asked full of concern.

Lana just stared at him with a lost expression. Then a flicker of recognition sparked in her eyes as Louise's memories broke through the surface. The sight of Clark stirred up powerful feelings deep inside of her, but she knew those feelings weren't entirely her own. From her visions, Lana remembered the overwhelming love that Louise had felt for her drifter, Joe. He had given Louise a sense of freedom and peace that Lana had always wished she could experience with Clark. Lana could feel Louise's love for Joe surging up and entwining itself with her own longing for the man in front of her. For an instant in Lana's mind, the images of Joe and Clark blurred into one.

As if possessed, Lana stared into Clark's eyes and slowly raised her hand to caress the side of his face. Clark stood transfixed by her gaze, confused by the well of emotion in her eyes. Lana's actions awakened feelings within him that he had tried to keep locked away. He silently wondered whether she still felt for him in that way. Clark struggled mightily to control the urge to kiss her and wrap her in his arms. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the thought of Alicia from earlier that night.

As Lana's caress made contact with his cheek, her touch sent images of Jor-El and Louise flashing through Clark's mind. The vision startled Clark and jolted him back, knocking him out of his trance. Feeling the sudden loss of connection, Lana quickly withdrew her hand as she realized what she was doing. Shocked expressions immediately overtook both of them.

For a few moments, they just sat there looking at each other in stunned silence. Lana couldn't believe what had just come over her. What had possessed her to reach out for Clark? Meanwhile, Clark tried to get a grip around the fact that he had just experienced memories of Jor-El and Louise through Lana's touch.

It reminded him of the time when he came into possession of Jor-El's medallion. The medallion had given him the ability to experience his father's memories by touching the same objects that his father had come in contact with. At that thought, Clark automatically looked to Lana's neck to see if she had somehow stumbled upon that same medallion.

What he saw on her neck left him both astounded and concerned. Instead of a medallion, he saw a pendant in the shape of a Kryptonian symbol. He understood that in Krypton, the symbol represented individuals who served as guides and guardians. Yet Clark was extremely puzzled by the outer part of the symbol, which traditionally identified the Kryptonian family from which a guide or guardian descended. Instead of identifying a particular Kryptonian family, the outer part of the symbol merely stood for the Kryptonian equivalent of the letter "L". What did this "L" stand for? Clark couldn't think of anything in his repository of Kryptonian knowledge that led him to a suitable answer.

Before he could contemplate any further, Clark was roused from his thoughts by Lana's apologetic voice.

"I'm really sorry Clark. I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay," he softly assured her while self-consciously removing his hands from her shoulders.

Lana couldn't help but feel disappointment as he withdrew his touch.

The awkwardness of the moment settled in as the silence between them commenced once again. Mercifully, the tension was cut short by the ringing of Clark's cell phone. Clark answered the call and instantly recognized the voice at the other end of the line.

A smile of relief played across his face as he said, "Chloe, I found her."

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Clark sat in the driver's seat of Lana's SUV as he and Lana traveled down the highway towards the Sullivan residence. Seated in the passenger seat, Lana stared out the windshield with a far away look in her eyes. Clark could tell that there was a lot on her mind, but he hesitated to pry too much in fear that she would start asking questions of her own in return. He reminded himself that his truck was still sitting somewhere on the side of a road not too far from Alicia's house. Fortunately, Lana's experience at the caves left her dazed enough not to question his explanation for showing up without a ride. He didn't want to push his luck any further by bringing more attention to himself than necessary.

Lana turned towards him with an embarrassed looked and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with driving me home? I could just drop you off at your place and I could drive myself back."

Although that was indeed an option, Clark was far too worried about Lana's safety to let her drive home by herself. He reasoned that someone who had just spent several hours passed out in a cave was in no condition to drive alone late at night.

"It's okay," he answered, "I promised Chloe I would get you home safe. Besides, she said she wanted to give me a ride back anyway."

Chloe, on the other hand, was a different matter altogether. Clark felt that she had too readily accepted his excuse for not having his own car at the caves. He told her that his parents had dropped him off at the caves while they continued looking for Lana elsewhere, and she just accepted his explanation without hesitation. In fact, his super hearing actually heard her confirm his story to Lana when she was talking to Lana over the phone in the caves. It was almost as if Chloe was covering up for him. For some reason, her willingness to go along with his lame excuse bothered him more than her usual attempts to uncover the hidden truth behind everything he said. He secretly worried about what she had in store for him during the ride back.

"I can't believe I was passed out for eight hours," Lana said. "I feel horrible leaving the staff at the Talon hanging like that."

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "I'm sure they're just relieved that you're okay."

"I hope so," she rejoined, "it just looks really bad when one of the business partners misses her shift because she decided to pull a Rip Van Winkle on everybody."

Clark chuckled at her self-deprecating remark and commented, "It definitely seems like Chloe's metaphoric talents are starting to rub off on you."

"Can you tell?" she replied with her best impression of Chloe's megawatt grin.

Clark laughed even harder at Lana's uncanny impersonation of her roommate and said, "Now _that's_ freaky… you two definitely spend way too much time together."

Lana responded with hearty laughter of her own, but it slowly died down as her thoughts returned to the day's events.

As if sensing her change in thought Clark asked, "Do you remember exactly what happened today at the caves?"

She paused when she recalled the symbol on the cave wall, her meeting with Louise, and the visions that followed. Should she tell Clark? Would he think she was crazy? She quickly decided against telling him for the time being. She just needed some time to sort through her experience and figure things out first. For now, she would give him and everyone else the edited version of the story.

"I remember driving down to the caves after school and looking at some of the symbols on one of the walls. For the life of me, I don't remember what happened after that. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor and then I heard your voice."

"Why did you decide to go to the caves in the first place?" he inquired.

Lana didn't exactly want to tell her ex-boyfriend that seeing him with Alicia was the real reason why she had inadvertently stumbled into the caves. But she did have other legitimate reasons for being at a historic Kawatche site.

"Actually," she told him, "I've been meaning to visit the caves for a little while now."

"Really? Why?" he asked.

"You know that genealogy project we have for history class?"

"Sure," he confirmed.

"Well," Lana said with a hint of excitement in her eyes, "I found out that one of my great grandmothers was one hundred percent Kawatche."

Clark's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lana had Kawatche blood, just like Kyla. He couldn't help but wonder if Lana's Kawatche heritage connected her in any way to the prophecies written all over the cave walls. Hopefully any potential link she had with the Kawatche caves wouldn't put her in harm's way. He had already lost Kyla, and he didn't want the same fate for Lana. Yet he felt strangely excited to know that he at least shared some kind of deeper connection with Lana through her Kawatche heritage.

"Wow, that's really cool!" he said with some genuine enthusiasm.

"You know," she informed him, "I really want to learn as much about my Kawatche heritage as I can."

"I bet," Clark agreed outwardly.

But inside, he worried about just how much Lana's eagerness to explore the Kawatche's history would put her in a position to eventually uncover his secret.

Lana' face grew serious as she said, "Clark, can I ask you a favor? It's really important to me."

"Of course," he replied, "just ask."

With a mix of embarrassment and shyness in her voice, she told him what she had in mind.

"Well…since you know more about the Kawatche caves than anyone else I know, I was just wondering if you could take me down there sometime and give me a crash course."

This was just what Clark had feared. The last thing he wanted was Lana regularly snooping around in Jor-El's backyard. However, he also saw the advantages of being Lana's main source of information about the caves. If he made it seem like he was being open with her about his knowledge, he would then be able to steer her away from any information that could potentially endanger his secret. In addition, the more frequent interaction with Lana would give him a better opportunity to repair their frayed friendship.

"Um… sure," he finally answered, "just tell me when."

"Thanks Clark," she gratefully smiled, "I really appreciate it."

As they continued driving he returned her smile and said, "No problem."

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Sacrilege. That's what Chloe normally would have thought about the idea of pouring a perfectly good cup of coffee down the drain.

But as she emptied the contents of her warm and half-full cup of coffee into the kitchen sink, Chloe reminded herself that she was doing this for the greater good. Considering everything she had learned today and what she was about to do, the last thing she needed was a fit of caffeine-induced spastic behavior. Especially when the stakes where this high.

Her friendship with Clark and his continued safety from the clutches of Lionel Luthor were both on the line. It isn't every day that a girl finds out that her best friend is the town's resident super-powered hero. And it isn't everyday that she confronts him about his secret in order to protect him from a true-life evil mastermind either.

Reminded of what lies and deception had done to their relationship so far, Chloe decided that honesty was the best policy. She had to meet him head-on and somehow earn his trust. Grab the bull by the horns, right? That was the Chloe Sullivan way… with the exception of her feelings for Clark Kent.

She desperately hoped that Clark would trust her good intentions on this one. Not that she had done much of late to earn his trust, but he had to know that deep down she really did care for him. Love him even, in that best friend kind of way… sort of. Taking into account what she heard from the school rumor mill about what was going on between Clark and Alicia, Chloe thought it best to shelve her romantic feelings .

What Clark needed most right now was a loyal and trustworthy friend. It was the least she could do, considering how many times he had probably saved her skin over the years without her even knowing it. Knowing him, he probably saved people all the time. Clark was great like that. It almost made her forgive him for being the densest guy on earth.

Chloe let out a small laugh as she shook her head at the thought. She could never stay made at Clark for too long.

The sound of the front door opening suddenly snapped Chloe out of her thoughts. She spied Lana making her way through the doorway with Clark close behind. Before Lana could step fully into the house, she found herself enveloped in a Chloe-sized bear hug.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay!" Chloe exclaimed while nearly squeezing the breath out of her buddy's lungs.

Both touched and amused by her friend's unabashed display of concerned affection, Lana couldn't help but poke back with some good-natured ribbing.

With Chloe still hanging off of her, Lana pretended to look at her roommate as if she had just escaped Belle Reeve and said in a weirded-out voice, "Hello to you too, Chloe…"

Chloe quickly broke her embrace and stepped back with an expression of mock indignation. She huffed and placed her hands on her hips as she teased back.

"Well, aren't we fresh today! Just remember that I'm not the one who instigated a false-alarm manhunt. So any crazed enthusiasm on my part is totally your fault."

Both girls stood their ground and proceeded to stare each other down with the best stoic faces they could muster. They dissolved into laughter seconds later. Clark could only shake his head at the sight.

"I swear," he interjected, "you guys must drink some kind of meteor-infected water in this house."

"And you don't?" Lana retorted.

"I don't think you'll see me mutating anytime soon," he answered with s smirk.

As the topic changed to meteor mutation, Chloe was reminded about her upcoming conversation with Clark. She felt the weight of her knowledge begin to bear down upon her. Lana noticed Chloe's change in demeanor and mistook it for a sign of Chloe's exhaustion from a long day of worrying and searching.

She turned to Chloe and said, "You and Clark should go, it's getting late. Let's catch up later?"

"Sure thing roomie," Chloe responded as she plastered a smile on her face.

Lana then gave Clark a quick hug and thanked him for bringing her home before heading upstairs to her room. With Lana gone, Chloe wanted to get the show on the road as quickly as possible.

Reminding herself to act as "normal" as possible, she summoned as much of her trademark Chloe perkiness as she could while she asked Clark if he was ready to go. Clark agreed, giving her an appreciative smile.

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Scrunched up in Chloe's passenger seat, Clark concluded that little Volkswagen Beetles definitely weren't made with people like him in mind. Every time he rode in Chloe's car, he wondered why shortening his limbs couldn't have been one his abilities. He vainly attempted to shift his legs in order not to leave a permanent indentation on the dashboard.

"Comfy?" Chloe asked as more of a teasing jab at Clark's lack of legroom than as a genuine question of concern.

"What do you think?" Clark snapped back with a perturbed look on his face.

Chloe couldn't help herself from laughing at Clark's expression, which reminded her of a cross between a petulant kid and a wounded puppy dog. Her laughter only managed to incite even more grumbling.

"Hey, you think this is funny? Try squeezing yourself into a can of tuna sometime!"

"Whoa!" Chloe responded in defense of her beloved automobile, "You don't hear me calling your whale of a truck a rolling toaster oven, do you?"

"No… but-"

"Clark, unlike your antiquated bucket of bolts, my car is a finely tuned yet stylish piece of machinery. So what if it wasn't made to accommodate lumbering ogres such as yourself?" she smugly interjected.

"Couldn't you have bought an SUV instead?"

"And destroy the environment while filling the coffers of evil oil barons? No way!"

"How about a minivan?"

"Clark, I'm way too young to be a soccer mom… wait, are you insinuating that I seem old and frumpy?"

Chloe actually looked somewhat offended. This was bad news for Clark. There were very few people whose wrath he actually feared, and Chloe Sullivan was one of them. He needed to do some serious damage control.

"Of course not! A lot of soccer moms are very stylish and sexy…" before he finished his thought, he realized the implications of what he was saying and added, "… not that I'm scoping out anyone's mom or anything."

"Sure, whatever you say creep-o," Chloe joked, having entirely too much fun prodding him for his verbal misstep, "but you still think I seem old."

Clark put on his best "asking-for-forgiveness-yet-trying-to-give-a-genuine-compliment" face and said, "You're not old. You're just intellectually mature for your age."

"Nice save Kent," she replied, satisfied with his attempt at redemption, "groveling is definitely a smart way to ensure your existence on this planet for at least one more day."

"I try," he said with a wry grin.

Clark felt glad that he and Chloe were once again starting to settle into the normal rhythm of their friendship. He hadn't realized how much he missed the easy-going connection they had shared before their feelings got in the way and messed things up.

"Hey," Chloe said in gratitude, "thanks for finding Lana and getting her back home safe. I would have had a hard time explaining to Nell and my dad that I somehow managed to misplace my roommate."

"No problem. She's my friend too."

"I know. It's only that I feel bad always asking you to make all the last-minute saves."

He placed his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner and said, "Really, Chloe, I was glad to do it. You should never feel bad about asking for my help. Besides, what are friends for?"

"I just hope that we didn't spoil your evening," she said apologetically, remembering that Clark told her that he had met up to study with a friend earlier in the night.

"No, not at all."

"So how'd your study date go?" she asked innocently.

"Date? Who said I was on a date?" he replied a little too guiltily for his own good.

Chloe could read him like a book, and he knew it. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Clark's disproportionate reaction to her innocent question had tipped her off. Chloe quickly followed the clue to its logical conclusion.

"You were on a date-date?"

"No… I mean yeah," he finally admitted. There was no use in hiding it now.

It appeared to Chloe that the rumors regarding Clark and Alicia were true. Although it stung her momentarily to think about Clark being with Alicia, it didn't bother nearly as much as she thought it would. That was good, because she had promised herself that no matter what, she would be his friend first. At the sight of Clark's guilty-looking mug, Chloe reminded herself that she needed to make sure that Clark knew that too.

"It's okay Clark, I won't bite," she reassured him, "I'm glad actually. It's good to see something take away from your moping time."

"I do not mope."

"And fish don't swim," she retorted.

Clark merely shook his head in amusement at her self-satisfied response.

"Anyway," she continued, "how did it go?"

"How did what go?" he asked with feigned obliviousness just to get a rise out of her.

"The date, nimrod!" she shouted with exasperation.

"Oh, that," he said, happy with the reaction he had elicited, "it went pretty well, actually."

"Wow, Clark Kent the regular Casanova… who would have thunk it?" she teased.

"Watch it, Chloe," he mock-threatened, "or else I may chose to no longer grace you with my debonair presence."

"Puh-lease," she said as she rolled her eyes, "one decent date does not make you god's gift to women."

Although in her mind, he didn't need even that, if one momentarily disregarded the fact that he was as dense as left over fruitcake.

"So who's the lucky girl?"

"Alicia. Alicia Baker."

Clark's answer confirmed what she had suspected. Clark and Alicia were an item. At least now she could tease him about it just a little.

"Wow, first you save a girl from a crashing elevator and then you sweep her off her feet! You've got this whole knight in shining armor thing down pat!"

"I didn't save her from the elevator Chloe," Clark said, suddenly turning serious, "we were both just lucky."

Clark's sudden defensiveness struck a chord inside of Chloe. She sympathized with Clark's plight. Not being able to share who he really was with the people closest to him must have been a tortuous ordeal. It made what she was about to do that much harder. Noticing her abrupt swing from cheeriness to pensiveness, Clark grew concerned.

"Chloe, is there something wrong?"

"Clark, there's something I need to show you, and I don't want it getting in the way of our friendship," she pleaded.

"What do you mean?" he asked in disbelief.

Clark hoped that Chloe hadn't gotten herself into deeper trouble with Lionel Luthor. Other than that, he didn't know what else could possibly cause her to so anxious.

As they pulled up to the Kent house driveway outside the loft, Chloe breathed out a worried sigh as she shut off the car engine.

"Come on Chloe," he reassured her, "it can't be that bad. We've worked our way through some pretty bad stuff and we're still here. This shouldn't be any different."

But it was, Chloe thought to herself. He had no idea what she was about to spring on him.

"I hope so," she conceded, "just promise me that we'll still be friends after you hear what I have to tell you, okay?"

"I promise," he said with an earnest look.

"I'll hold you to that," she warned.

"So what is it you have to show me?"

"Let's go to the loft," she said.

Chloe grabbed her messenger bag and they both stepped out of the car. They then made their way into the old barn that housed Clark's loft, which his dad had dubbed as Clark's "Fortress of Solitude." For Chloe, that nickname took on a whole other significance with what she had learned about Clark today. Chloe followed him up the steps to the loft itself, which overlooked the rest of the barn. In the middle of the loft were a beat up couch and an old steamer trunk that served as a makeshift coffee table.

"Maybe you should sit down for this Clark," she advised.

Clark obliged her request by taking a seat on the couch. His eyebrows shot up in curiosity as Chloe produced a laptop from her messenger bag and set it on the trunk. She then took out what looked like a DVD and a typewritten note. With the evidence in hand, Chloe took a seat on the opposite end of the couch and began her story.

She started by handing him the DVD and the note.

"Clark, today someone delivered this DVD to my house, and it came with this note. I don't know who sent it to me, but whoever it is definitely has some inside connections with Luthorcorp."

Luthorcorp. Clark's alertness heightened at the mention of the word. He looked at the DVD suspiciously and read the cryptic note.

"Chloe, do you think Lionel Luthor sent you this?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But I think you should see what's on that DVD first."

Clark did as he was told and popped the DVD into Chloe's laptop. Chloe monitored him intently as the DVD began to play. She worried about what his reaction might be. She couldn't bear it if Clark decided to pull away and shut her out like he did when he ran off to Metropolis.

Clark watch with interest as the scenes from the elevator incident played out on the laptop's monitor. The security footage wasn't anything he wasn't expecting, since he knew of the camera's existence and effectively melted it with his heat vision before it could capture him performing any other feats.

But he felt his stomach drop at the sight of the footage that followed. The hole in the elevator wall and the remains of the melted security camera were indisputable evidence that something out of the ordinary had indeed happened. Worst of all, the video seemed to illustrate that Lionel Luthor had taken stock of all of this evidence and was somehow connecting the dots. Dots that would lead straight to him and Alicia. His face blanched at the possibility of Lionel being hot on their trail. And now Chloe and possibly some other unknown person knew of this too. They were all in danger and Clark couldn't help but feel that it was all his fault.

Chloe silently observed Clark as his expression grew increasingly grim. The change in him unnerved her. What would he do? She didn't know what she would do if he didn't handle it well.

"Clark," she called to him, "Lionel's caught on to whatever you did to escape that elevator with Alicia. You need to be careful."

A few seconds passed before he slowly turned his distressed gaze towards Chloe. They both looked at each other and saw fear in the other person's eyes. Fear of what they now thought of each other. Clark mistook Chloe's expression to mean that she was in fact afraid of him, and a look of rejection crept over his face. Maybe he truly was meant to be alone. Out of everyone, he always believed that Chloe was the one that would understand. It cut him deeply to think that she didn't. But what did he expect? He was a freak after all. An alien.

Noticing Clark starting to close himself off from her, Chloe felt that she would lose him again if she didn't do something drastic. So she did the only thing her panicked brain could think of. The only thing that could have prevented this whole mess in the first place. Chloe quickly scooted to his side and took his hands in her own. She looked intently into his eyes and told him the one thing that had been plaguing her heart ever since she first met him.

"Clark, you know I love you right?"

It took a second to register before Clark felt his mouth drop. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Chloe loved him?

"You're my best friend," she continued, "and there's no way I'd let a little detail like you being different from everyone else change the way I feel about you and our friendship. It doesn't matter whether you're the son of a sasquatch or a space alien. I will take everything I learn about you straight to my grave. I promise."

Looking into her eyes, Clark knew she meant every word she said. At that realization, Clark felt himself release a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Chloe was normal and he wasn't, yet she still loved him as her best friend. Somehow her acceptance of who he was, space alien or not, touched him in a way he hadn't expected. He felt a sudden surge of pride in knowing that he had a friend as awesome as Chloe.

Overjoyed that he still had his best friend by his side, he enveloped her in an affectionate hug. Chloe nestled her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his waste. She squeezed back to reassure him she wasn't going anywhere.

"Love you too, Chloe," he said into her hair.

Chloe giggled with a mix of relief and joy to know that at least as a friend, he loved her too. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she began to believe that she had finally earned Clark's trust and that their friendship would remain intact.

"Thanks for everything," he continued, "I really don't deserve to have a friend like you."

She looked up into his eyes with a mischievous glint and joked, "Well you don't, so consider yourself lucky."

Clark chuckled and attempted to give her his best wounded puppy look.

"Hey," she scolded, "just because we're cool doesn't mean that you get spared from the wrath of my particular brand of snark!"

He laughed even harder and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

After their laughter quieted down, they sat there for a moment to absorb the reality of what had just happened.

"So," he finally said, "I guess I owe you an explanation about what happened in the elevator."

Chloe pulled away from him and seemed lost in thought for a moment before speaking.

"Actually," she replied, "you don't owe me an explanation at all… at least not right now."

Clark couldn't believe that Chloe was actually turning down a piece of volunteered information. Especially when the information in question was worthy of the wall of weird.

"Okay," he accused her half skeptically and half jokingly, "who are you and what have you done to Chloe?"

"No, it's not like that at all," she explained. "I just think you should hold off on telling me the really juicy stuff until things die down a bit."

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"Look Clark, I can't stand the thought of ever betraying you. If Lionel somehow gets a hold of me and drugs me or something, I don't want him to find out something he doesn't already know. And until we know exactly what we're up against, I don't want to be a liability to you."

Clark pondered over what she said. He had to admit, Chloe had a point. But he felt he could make an ever better one.

"Chloe, I know that you don't want to risk betraying me, and I really appreciate the thought. But I never want anyone to suffer unnecessarily because of my secret. That's exactly why I want to tell you. We know that there's at least one person out there who already knows that you've seen the DVD. People may come after you regardless. If something like that does happen, I need you to have a bargaining chip that you can use for leverage to save your own life or the life of someone else."

She marveled at his selflessness. He was completely willing to expose his secret to protect others. It made her love him even more and made it unbearable for her think that there was even a possibility that she could betray him.

"Clark, I don't know if I could ever choose between sacrificing you and sacrificing anyone else."

"It's okay Chloe," he assured her, "we don't have to decide anything now."

"Alright," she responded in relief.

Entirely too much had transpired in the last half hour for her to be making any more major decisions at the moment. Then the sound of Clark's voice gently stirred her from her thoughts.

"Chloe, if Lionel didn't send the DVD, who do you think did it?"

"You know," she answered, "there's a very short list of people within Luthorcorp who could possibly have enough pull to obtain that footage. Care to guess who sits atop my list?"

Clark didn't even want to contemplate the possibility that he knew Chloe was suggesting.

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Lex Luthor stared at the flashing red dot on his computer screen. The tracking device he had implanted on the DVD worked perfectly.

"There you are, Chloe," he said to himself, "surprising choice, to say the least."

In addition to telling Lex the whereabouts of the DVD, the state-of-the-art tracking device informed him whenever the DVD's contents were being accessed. He was honestly surprised that Chloe had gone straight to the source, Clark Kent himself, to share her newfound revelations. Given her previous falling out with Clark, he assumed that she would have at least tried to secretly blackmail his father first. Lex thought that if Lionel ever suspected Chloe of holding out on him, his father's reaction would reveal his hand regarding what he knew about Clark Kent. On the bright side, Clark was now on notice that he was being watched and could take the necessary precautions to protect himself.

Lex momentarily took his eyes off the screen and motioned for Donovan, his chief bodyguard, to approach him.

"Donovan," he instructed, "keep a close eye on Chloe Sullivan. Make sure nothing happens to her."

"Yes sir," Donovan replied before turning about face and striding out of the study.

Using Chloe Sullivan as bait was an unfortunate but necessary evil. His father was a deadly viper that needed to be flushed out before it could be subdued. And he was counting on Chloe to create just the diversion he needed. A diversion that would allow him to beat his father in the race to solve the mystery of Clark Kent.


	5. Chapter 5: Heritage

Twist of Fate

Chapter 5: Heritage

Clark had fifteen minutes before the day's classes began, but the last thing he could think about was school. Tonight would be a big night. Chloe would finally be given full disclosure over dinner with his parents and Pete. After talking with Chloe and then to his parents last night, they all came to the conclusion that Chloe would be best equipped to protect both herself and Clark's secret if she were fully informed. Clark found it very amusing to think of the Kents and the Torch combining into one big happy yet secretive family.

He placed all the books he needed for his morning classes in his backpack and shut the locker door. As soon as he did, he found himself face to face with his other best friend, Pete Ross. Unfortunately, he and Pete weren't on the best of terms ever since Clark had to extricate Pete from the clutches of Dante, an illegal drag racing kingpin. Pete had gotten involved with Dante against Clark's strong warnings, and Clark had to resort to some borderline shady measures to rescue his buddy. Pete had been trying to make it up to him ever since.

"Man, I know we've had our differences, but I can't believe you didn't tell me," said Pete, pretending to act offended.

"Tell you what, Pete?" Clark asked, puzzled.

"About you and Alicia," Pete answered, breaking into a smile.

"How did you find out about that?"

"Bro, half the school saw you guys at the multiplex last night. Did you think I wouldn't hear about it?"

"Well, I wasn't trying to keep it a secret-"

"No worries," Pete assured him, "I just wanted to say… way to go man! Alicia's smokin'! That girl's on fire!"

Pete gave Clark a quick punch on the chest and shouted "See you later, stud!" before walking away.

In a rare moment of self-congratulation, a cocky grin spread across Clark's face at Pete's words.

"Yeah," he said out loud to himself while nodding his head, brimming with confidence.

All of a sudden, his hearing picked up the sound of light footsteps behind him. Clark turned around and found an amused-looking Alicia.

"Hey 'stud', how're you doing?" she teased, obviously having heard Pete's comments.

Not that she would have disagreed with anything Pete had said.

Clark saw the grin on her face and was glad that she was being a good sport about Pete's remarks.

"I'm pretty good, how about you?"

"Not too shabby," she answered.

"I just wanted to tell you," she continued, "that I really appreciate everything you said to me last night. It's nice to feel normal and accepted for once."

Clark fixed her with one of his trademark smiles and replied, "You did the same for me. Thanks for going easy on me for our first date. I know I can be a little clumsy at times."

"Oh please," she dismissed, "you were a perfect gentleman. Plus I find it kinda cute that you're clumsy."

"Oh really?" he asked mischievously.

She stepped closer to him and whispered jokingly in his ear, "Just make sure you don't step on my shoes… then I'd have to kill you."

Clark burst into laughter. He was glad to see Alicia loosening up around him.

"Anything but the shoes, huh?" he added between chuckles.

"Yup," she responded with a grin, "as long as you remember that, we should do just fine."

"In that case, I'll make sure to sign up for dancing lessons to make me more nimble on my feet," he joked back.

"Clark Kent," she replied in semi-mock amazement, "you never cease to amaze me."

"I aim to please," he quipped.

"You don't have to try much," she told him genuinely.

"Well, since I have a captive audience, would you want to go out with me again sometime?"

Alicia's face lit up in response.

"Of course," she happily answered, "but I can't do it tonight… I have a physics study group at the Talon."

"It's okay, my family's got something going on tonight too. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Sure, sounds great! Let's talk about it over lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," he confirmed.

"I'll see you at lunch then," she said before planting a quick yet intense kiss on Clark's lips that left him momentarily stunned.

Satisfied that her kiss had the desired effect, Alicia waved goodbye before skipping down the hall away from a still speechless Clark.

Clark stood there like a statue until a tapping on his shoulder roused him from his catatonic state. He turned towards the tapping to see Lana Lang smiling at him.

"I take it your date went well?" she asked, seeming genuinely pleased for Clark.

Still somewhat displaced from the combination of Alicia's kiss and the sight of Lana, Clark answered, "Yeah, it went pretty well."

"I'm really glad for both of you," she congratulated him.

After last night's near-incident at the caves with Clark, Lana was determined to make sure that she placed herself solidly on the friendship side of the relationship line. The last thing she needed with all the craziness of her visions was to make things more uncomfortable between herself and Clark.

"Alicia and I are in the same English class," she told him, "she's a really sweet girl."

"I know," he corroborated.

After a short and awkward silence, Clark asked, "How are you feeling after last night?"

"A lot better," she informed him, "which is why I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"The Kawatche caves. Are you by some chance free this afternoon around four-ish?"

"I think that works for me," he smiled.

"Thanks Clark," she said gratefully, "I owe you one. Do you want to meet up at the caves then?"

"Sure, just make sure you don't get knocked out before I get there," he jested.

Lana laughed out loud, hoping history wouldn't repeat itself.

"I'll try my best, but you never know," she jibed back.

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Lana looked down at the pendant hanging from her neck. With the palm of her hand, she held it up closer to her face so that she could memorize every one of its contours. Then she looked back up at the cave wall in front of her and concentrated at the very symbol that started it all. What did it all mean?

The silence of Lana's solitude was suddenly interrupted by a familiar female voice.

_Lana, be his guide._

Lana scanned all around her, searching for the source of Louise's voice, but she saw no signs of life. Thinking she was just hearing things, Lana chalked it up to stress and her imagination.

Then it happened again.

_You must guide him to his destiny._

"Where are you?" Lana called out, her voice echoing off the walls.

Nothing but silence followed. Lana paced through the caves for the next few minutes, combing them for some indication of Louise's presence, but found nothing.

Unsuccessful in her search, Lana decided to return to the same spot where she first heard the voice. She looked back up at the same symbol that had summoned her great aunt and pondered over what Louise's disembodied voice had said. Exactly who was she supposed to guide? And to what destiny? Lana continued contemplating the possible meanings behind her aunt's words.

Completely engrossed in her thoughts, Lana failed to notice Clark enter the caves and walk up behind her.

"Hey Lana."

Startled, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around to see who it was. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Clark standing there with a water bottle in hand.

"Clark, you surprised me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," she assured him, "I was just kind of mesmerized by all the paintings and symbols on the walls. I feel as if for the first time, I'm really seeing this place for what it is."

"Yeah, I kinda feel that way every time I come down here."

Lana locked eyes with Clark, suddenly remembering that this was the very spot where he had once promised never to leave her.

"Hence you keep coming back," she finally commented.

For a moment, Clark lost himself in the hazel pools of her stare.

"Well," he replied without breaking eye contact, "I usually end up seeing something amazing when I visit."

When Clark didn't break his gaze, Lana felt the blood start to rush to her face. She felt embarrassed that a mere look from Clark combined with a decidedly unromantic comment about cave paintings could make her react this way. Besides, he was with Alicia now. She tried to look at anything but his face and focused downwards to his hands. Except that his hands were placed near his pants pockets, directly next to his crotch. Imagining how inappropriate it must have looked for her to be staring at that region of his anatomy, she blushed even harder. She quickly shifted her gaze again and this time found a cave painting that didn't cause her to go red in the face.

Observing Lana's sudden discomfort, Clark tried to change the subject. He noticed that she was wearing the same Kryptonian pendant from the night before.

"Nice pendant you've got there, I've never seen you wear it before."

"This here?" she said, pointing to the trinket in question.

"Yeah, when did you get it?"

She needed to find a suitable explanation. And telling Clark that it was given to her by the ghost of her long dead great-aunt was not suitable.

She quickly thought of a story and said, "I found it with some of Aunt Louise's stuff when I was cleaning out the Talon last week."

The fact that Lana had mentioned that the pendant once belonged to Louise wasn't lost upon Clark. Perhaps that was why he saw those visions last night. He wondered what else Jor-El might have shared with Louise.

At a loss for what to say without giving away the pendant's extraterrestrial origin, he commented, "It's… unique."

"Interesting you should say that," she said and pointed to the symbol on the wall, "I noticed that this pendant looks identical to this symbol right here. Do you have any idea what it means?"

Lana pointed directly to the symbol for the guides and the guardians. From what Clark knew of Krypton, guides and guardians were one and the same. In a very literal sense the guides were the guardians. They protected people from the folly of their own mistakes by showing them how to make the right decisions. But he still couldn't figure out which particular guardian the symbol on the wall referred. Or whom the guardian was supposed to protect.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," he said truthfully, "I'll have to look it up."

Lana could tell that Clark was indeed telling the truth and she gave him an appreciative smile. She was very grateful that Clark had decided to indulge her in her quest to learn more about her Kawatche's background.

"Thanks for doing this for me Clark."

"No problem," he said, "I know how important this is for you."

She sighed out loud in response and said, "To be quite honest, I'm really excited to know that I have a whole side to my heritage that I never even knew about. But at the same time it's scary."

If anyone knew about having scary revelations about his heritage, it was Clark. The destiny thrust upon him by his Kryptonian father was something he had been trying to avoid for nearly a year. Jor-El's words still resonated in his mind.

_They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength, my son. That is where your greatness lies._

Shaking himself from memories of Jor-El, he returned his focus to Lana.

"What do you find so scary?" he asked.

"I really want to feel like I belong to my Kawatche heritage," she replied with a yearning look, "but I also feel like an impostor by saying that I'm part Kawatche."

"An impostor? Why would you think that?"

"Clark, I never even knew I was part Kawatche until last week."

"Lana, you share the same blood as they do. Doesn't that count for something?"

Lana stuffed her hands in her pockets and lightly kicked a pebble on the cave floor. Her brows furrowed as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. How could she express the fact that blood wasn't enough to make you feel like you belonged? She took a resolute step forward and attempted to explain.

"Do you think it's fair for me to claim a Kawatche identity when I haven't experienced anything the Kawatche have gone through as a people? They were nearly wiped out by the white settlers who came here and took their land. Even today, they still suffer through inequality and discrimination. I can't imagine the level of hardship and lack of opportunity I would have experienced if I had grown up on a reservation."

"But Lana," he reasoned, "it's not your fault you grew up where you did."

"Let's face it Clark, despite me losing my parents, I've had a pretty good life. I realize that now. But I've never even cared enough to learn about the Kawatche and they live less than ten miles away from us! Now here I am, a girl who rides horses for fun and owns a coffee shop. Compared to the average Kawatche, I've had a really privileged life. Just because I suddenly found out that I'm one-eighth Kawatche, does that give me the right to walk onto a reservation and lay claim to their identity? It just doesn't seem fair for me to do that."

Clark understood where Lana was coming from. For very similar reasons, he felt like an impostor walking amongst normal people every day. How could he claim to be human when he didn't feel physical pain or suffering? He never had to deal with the uncertainty of human frailty that plagued everyone else on a daily basis. The struggle for physical survival, with the exception of kryptonite exposure, was something he never encountered. Was it fair for him to want to be accepted as a normal human? At least Lana was actually descended from the Kawatche. She had more of a biological connection with the Kawatche than he could ever hope for with anyone from Earth. Clark was different… undeniably so.

Yet as he tried to think of a way to assuage Lana's worries, a realization finally hit him. Just because he wasn't a normal human didn't mean that he couldn't be a part of their world or share in their dreams. He felt the same emotions and uncertainties that they did. He felt their hope, their love, and their emotional pain. Clark did what he could to help those around him and there were people that accepted him based on his actions alone, regardless of biology. His parents and Pete accepted him fully. And so did Chloe and Alicia to the extent that they knew of his abilities.

Standing in front of Lana in the caves that housed the presence Jor-El, Clark finally began to accept the fact that he did have a place in the world. He just needed to find out exactly where that place was. Empowered by this realization, Clark offered Lana words of encouragement.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. I think your heart's in the right place. You've done a lot for the Kawatche. These caves would have been bulldozed by Luthorcorp if you hadn't helped raise awareness of them through the Talon. Plus, if you hadn't convinced your dad to help Joseph Willowbrook overcome Lionel's dirty legal moves, who knows where he would have ended up? I'm sure at least some of the Kawatche would welcome you with open arms based on the fact that you cared enough to help them in the first place."

"Perhaps," she replied, only partially convinced, "I just wish I would have done more since then."

"You can't expect to help everyone all the time Lana."

"I know. But this whole experience just made me realize how little I've done with the gifts I've been given."

_The gifts I've been given._ For the second time that day, Lana's words struck a chord inside him. Clark had never really considered his abilities as gifts. He often thought of them as obstacles to being a normal person. But what Lana said forced him to look at them in a new light. How much had he done with these "gifts" he had been given? Asides from helping his parents on the farm and making the occasional save, he felt that he hadn't done much to fully utilize his abilities. Maybe he did have a destiny after all. Perhaps he was subject to a greater responsibility because of his powers. For the first time, he seriously entertained the notion that just living a "normal" life would be a colossal waste of his so-called gifts. With that in mind, Clark resolved that his destiny would be defined by what HE ultimately decided to do with his abilities, not Jor-El.

"Believe me Lana," he assured her, "you're not the only person that feels that way about yourself."

She looked up at Clark's face with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Clark, I didn't mean to drag you into to my whole self-wallowing guilt complex."

"No need to apologize at all. What you said really makes sense. I wish more people had your attitude towards this kind of thing."

"Some role model I am," she said with a self deprecating laugh.

"Hey," he grinned, "you've got to start somewhere."

"Thanks Clark, you're a great friend… even if I don't always appreciate it."

"Well," he quipped, "the next time you wrongfully chew me out, I should get a cup of coffee on the house."

"I could arrange that," she returned with a smile.

After sharing a few more words, Lana and Clark then turned their observations towards the cave paintings on the walls surrounding them. Lana's gaze settled on a set of images depicting the Kawatche legend of Naman. She walked towards the drawings and pointed them out to Clark.

"So, who's this figure here?"

"That's Naman, he's supposed to be the savior of the Kawatche people."

"What's his story?"

Lana looked at him as if she were a child waiting for her grandpa to tell her a bedtime story. Tickled by her enthusiasm, he offered her a drink from the water bottle he brought for their outing before launching into the tale. She declined and instead impatiently gestured for him to get on with the story. He happily obliged her request.

"The legend says that Naman came from a distant star and fell from the sky in a rain of fire. The Kawatche say that he had the strength of ten men and could shoot fire from his eyes. He supposedly had a forbidden affair with an earth woman, and she ended up becoming the mother of the Kawatche people. According to their oral traditions, he left one day and flew back into the sky, promising to send another…"

Lana listened with growing interest and concern as Clark expounded on all the details of the Naman legend. The similarities between Naman and what she had seen of Joe in her visions were striking. Both Naman and Joe could fly. Like Naman, Joe fell in love with an earth woman and confessed to her that he came from another planet. Most disturbing of all, there was Clark's resemblance to Joe… could they somehow both be related to each other and to Naman? Was Clark Kent related to a super-powered extra-terrestrial? The theory was so far out there that Lana didn't know what to think. She was sure even Chloe would have a hard time believing that story.

"Lana, you are going straight to the loony bin," she silently thought to herself

Besides, there were still other details to the story that she needed to confirm first.

"So let me get this straight Clark. Naman fell from the sky in a rain of fire?"

"That's what the legend says."

"It sounds like he came down in a meteor shower," she suggested, gesturing to the images on the cave wall that supported her hypothesis.

"That's one theory," Clark posited in an effort to keep Lana from knowing just how right she was.

"If not," she proposed instead, "do you think he came down in a space ship or something?"

That wasn't the result he was looking for. Instead of drawing her further from the truth, he funneled her right to it. This line of questioning had to end as quickly as possible.

"Lana, it's just a legend."

"Clark, humor me here for a second," she pleaded.

Fine, if Clark couldn't dissuade her, then he'd put her on the spot instead.

"Okay, so let's say that he was an alien. What would you think of him then?"

Realizing that Clark was trying to turn the tables on her, Lana decided she would have a little fun with his hypothetical.

Clark watched intently for her reaction as he took a few swigs from his water bottle.

"It depends…" she said slowly, drawing out the phrase. Then she suddenly turned towards him with a seductive expression in her eyes and with her most sultry voice asked, "… is he cute?"

Clark's eyes widened in shock at her response and he couldn't help but spew the water in his mouth all over the bottom of the cave wall. Fortunately that part of the wall was devoid of paintings. Otherwise, he would have been guilty of permanently destroying a piece of Kawatche heritage.

"Clark, are you okay?" she asked full of concern.

"Yeah," he mumbled while wiping the water from his mouth, completely mortified.

He couldn't believe that he just did his best imitation of a whale's blowhole.And right in front of the girl he had crushed on since kindergarten, nonetheless. How embarrassing.

"Just went down the wrong tube, that's all," he explained, trying to play it off.

"I can't believe you just spewed all over a protected archaeological site," she teased.

Clark returned her comment with an accusing look.

"Not my fault!" she protested with her hands up, feigning innocence.

"You can't be serious about that 'Naman having to be cute' thing," he asked incredulously.

"Well," she joked, "if he's supposed to have an illicit affair with an earth woman he'd better be cute. What if he decided to make a move on someone here in Smallville?"

Seeing the flabbergasted look on Clark's face, it was all she could do to hold in her laughter.

"You mean you'd actually date him if he asked you?" he questioned, his disbelief reaching new levels.

Lana's expression slowly turned serious as his question evoked memories of Louise's affair with Joe. After giving his question some earnest consideration, she decided to give Clark an honest answer.

"It depends on his intentions. If he's here to make the most out of his gifts in order to help people, then it wouldn't be out of the question."

Clark felt his jaw drop at the implications of her response.

"But his being cute wouldn't hurt either," she added with a mischievous smile.

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	6. Chapter 6: Catalyst

**Twist of Fate  
**  
Chapter 6: Catalyst

Swish. 

Clark watched helplessly as Pete drained his third straight jump shot from long range. Sometimes playing basketball against Pete without powers definitely sucked… especially when Pete was in a trash-talking mood.

"You can't touch me sucka," Pete taunted. "You're like Craig Ehlo to my Jordan!"

"Last time I checked, Michael Jordan could actually dunk a basketball," Clark retorted with a triumphant smirk.

"You dissing my hops?" Pete asked indignantly.

"No, I'm just saying that you're a little vertically challenged."

"But it ain't stoppin' me from schoolin' your ass!" Pete cockily replied.

Clark chuckled as he checked the ball to the one person outside his family that completely knew his secret. Pete was the only person in the world that he truly considered a brother. Likewise, Pete often referred to Clark as his "brother from another planet." It was fitting, since only a brother would have the audacity to regularly make fun of someone that could squash him like a grape. Not that Clark ever thought about doing such a thing to Pete. Much.

"What's so funny?" Pete asked, tucking the basketball under his arm.

"Nothing, I just think you're pretty brave to be getting fresh with a super-powered space alien," Clark joked.

Pete laughed in response and exclaimed, "Hey, I've got meteor rocks and I know how to use 'em!"

"Like the time you were infected by that parasite and you used Red Kryptonite to sabotage my date with Lana?" Clark said accusingly.

"Hey man," Pete responded half-laughing and half-apologizing, "I told you a million times I was sorry. Besides, you still got to make out with Chloe."

Clark returned Pete's comment with a reprimanding look.

"Don't look at me like that…" Pete defended, "…you gotta admit, Chloe's pretty hot."

"Pete," Clark scolded, "that's our best friend you're talking about!"

"So," he retorted matter-of-factly, "I've got eyes, don't I?"

"If Chloe ever heard you talking about her like that…"

"What?" Pete interjected, "Are you saying that you don't think the same thing I do? Is being oblivious to the opposite sex one of your superpowers too?"

"It's not that," Clark defended, "but believe it or not, I'm actually seeing another girl right now. And I think she'd appreciate it if I didn't reminisce about making out with one of my best friends that I still happen to hang out with everyday."

"Oh yeah, Alicia…" Pete said wistfully, "… man, how is it that you end up making out with all the hot chicks?"

"It must be my superior charm and fashion sense," Clark joked.

"Yeah, right," Pete jibed back, "if I dressed like you and had your lady skills, I'd still be wondering what it was like to slide into first base!"

Clark merely shook his head at Pete's jab.

Suddenly changing the subject, he asked, "Pete, do you find it tough keeping my secret by yourself?"

"Sometimes," Pete answered, confused by the question. "Why do you ask?"

Clark flashed back to the night before, when Chloe gave him the incriminating DVD that she had in her possession and confessed to him her suspicions of his powers. Whether she knew or not, Chloe was in too deep and already in danger from Lionel and whoever it was that gave her the DVD. After a long conversation with his parents later that night, they had decided that letting Chloe in on the whole truth was the best way to protect her. But he still hadn't told Pete about it.

Clark looked Pete right in the eyes and said, "I've decided to tell Chloe everything about me."

Pete's eyes widened and his jaw went slack. The basketball under his arm fell to the pavement and bounced down the driveway.

Concerned at his friend's reaction, Clark asked, "You don't think it's a good idea for me to tell her?"

Finally mustering enough strength to speak, Pete said, "No, I think it's a good idea, except…"

"Except what?" Clark anxiously pressed on at the sight of Pete's worried expression.

"Except that when Chloe finds out I've been holding out on her all this time, she's gonna kill me!" Pete nervously shouted.

At the sight of Pete's obvious fear of the wrath of their petite blond friend, Clark nearly doubled over in laughter.

"I guess that means more food for me at dinner tonight, then!" Clark howled.

Pete scowled back, unamused.

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Manning her evening shift at the Talon, Lana struggled to concentrate on preparing the order for the table seated directly across from her. She instead found herself staring at one of the table's occupants, Alicia Baker. Alicia sat at her table happily chatting with the girls in her study group, completely oblivious to Lana's observations. It was impossible for Lana not to notice that the blond was glowing with excitement from her newfound romance with Clark.

Lana remembered that she was once in Alicia's very shoes several months ago. But Clark's unwillingness to share his true self with Lana ultimately ended their relationship. Despite her attempts to suppress any possible feelings of jealousy, Lana couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt that Clark had decided to trust Alicia enough to have a relationship with her after deciding that he couldn't do the same for Lana. What was it about Alicia that allowed Clark to let her in?

Regardless, Lana felt grateful that Clark's relationship with Alicia appeared to spark a small but noticeable change in him. She first noticed it when she talked to Clark in the caves after school. It was their first truly meaningful conversation in months.

With the exception of a few instances, Lana noticed that Clark always seemed to carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. But at the caves earlier that day, he was less guarded than normal. Clark had always been secretive of his knowledge of the caves, but this time he had decided to let her in. She observed his enthusiasm and excitement in sharing a part of his life that he rarely shared with anyone else. Lana guessed that her being part Kawatche probably helped him open up to her about the mysteries of the cave and the story of Naman.

Clark seemed like a different person that afternoon, exuding a sense of peace and self-confidence that she had never seen in him before. Gone was the Clark who was always so restrained and secretive, replaced instead by a more honest and lighthearted version of the man she loved. Lana suspected that his new relationship allowed him to stop treating her as if she were on a pedestal. Instead, they found themselves on a more equal footing, playfully trading verbal jabs and banter all afternoon, yet being more open and honest with each other in the process. For once, Lana felt as if Clark wasn't trying so damned hard to be perfect around her… and it felt refreshing.

Lana sensed that the weight upon Clark's shoulders finally seemed to lighten a bit, letting the man she loved slowly emerge from underneath it. Unfortunately, the man she loved was currently dating the girl sitting at the table right in front of her.

Lana didn't know whether to thank Alicia or be completely jealous of her for playing a part in bringing out this new, more real side of Clark. In her heart, Lana felt a little bit of both. In an attempt to keep the jealousy from overwhelming her, she looked down at the unfinished orders before her and busied herself with their preparation.

Completely absorbed in her thoughts and in the preparation of the drinks for Alicia's table, Lana failed to notice that Alicia had quietly moved from her seat and was now standing right in front of her.

Alicia stood in front of the counter and took a deep breath. She respected Lana and truly didn't want to alienate her. Lana was in her English class and was one of the few people that actually made an effort to get to know her. Alicia knew that Lana and Clark had a history together and she wanted to make sure that there were no hard feelings between her and Lana. 

Noticing Lana's distracted state of mind, Alicia tried to get her attention.

She hesitantly said, "Hi Lana."

Momentarily startled by Alicia's sudden presence, Lana nearly spilled the white chocolate macchiato in her hands. Alicia quickly reached out with one hand and helped Lana stabilize the beverage before it tipped over.

"Thanks," Lana said, embarrassed at her own clumsiness.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you like that," Alicia apologized.

"It's not your fault… I was just a little preoccupied," Lana told her with a false smile.

But the smile slowly disappeared when she saw the nervous expression on Alicia's face.

"Alicia, is there something wrong?"

"Lana," she blurted out, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was thinking about going out with Clark… everything just happened so fast."

Alicia's confession suddenly stirred up feelings of loss, resentment, and sadness in Lana regarding her failed relationship with Clark. She struggled desperately to keep her composure and reminded herself that Clark was still her friend and that being with Alicia was good for him. Lana told herself that if she cared about him as much as she claimed to, then she needed to swallow her pride. Trying to keep her emotions in check, Lana mustered up all the cheer she could to make herself smile.

Alicia could see the subtle battle of pained emotions behind Lana's cheerful facade through the brunette's hazel eyes. She figured that talking to your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend was akin to walking an emotional minefield. Alicia felt bad that despite the situation, Lana was still doing her best to put on a brave face for Alicia's sake.

"There's nothing for you to apologize about," Lana responded with a smile that seemed to wipe away the anguish in her eyes. "I'm happy for both of you… I think you two are great for each other."

"Really? You're okay with it?" Alicia answered, feeling half relieved and half guilty.

"Yeah, really." Lana reassured her, the smile still on her face.

Alicia smiled back, but she still couldn't forget the pain she saw in Lana's eyes just moments before.

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Adam sat in his car in the Talon parking lot, using his enhanced hearing to listen in on Alicia and Lana's conversation. A small smirk spread across his face once he realized that the two pieces he needed for commencing his plan were now in place—a plan that would free him from the control of Lionel Luthor.

As long as Lionel had sole control of the Lazarus liver serum that Adam needed to survive, Adam would always be at his mercy. In order to wrest control of the serum away from Lionel, Adam needed a major bargaining chip. But the only chip big enough was Clark Kent.

In order to guarantee that he ensnared Clark in his web, Adam needed insurance. And that insurance came in the form of Lana and Alicia, the two most important girls in Clark's life. Adam's observations of Clark taught him that the surest way to entrap the teen was to take advantage of his self-sacrificing heroic streak. Once Adam captured the two girls, he felt confident that Clark would do anything he asked in exchange for keeping them safe from harm. With full control over Clark, Adam would finally have the leverage he needed to pry the serum, and with it his freedom, from Lionel's clutches.

With Lana and Alicia both within his grasp, Adam waited patiently to spring his trap.

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Chloe stepped out of her car and took in the bucolic scene before her. She looked at the yellow farmhouse and the adjacent red barn, framed by an expanse of green pasture. It was the idyllic picture of the American heartland. But she couldn't help but grin at the fact that nestled in all this rustic "normalcy" was something absolutely extraordinary. And it had been right under her nose this entire time. Her best friend, the unassuming farm boy next door, was something quite exceptional indeed.

A combination of excitement and nervousness tingled through Chloe's body as she rang the doorbell on the Kents' front door. The Kents were like a second family to her ever since she arrived in Smallville four years ago. In particular, Martha Kent was the closest thing she had to a mother figure ever since Chloe's own mother abandoned her family when she was five years old. But now that she had partially uncovered their family secret, she didn't know how they would react.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Martha Kent, her red hair and blue eyes illuminated by the porch lights.

"Chloe, it's great to see you," Martha said as she greeted Chloe with a warm hug that partially melted away Chloe's worries.

Chloe returned the hug and told Martha, "I'm glad to see you too, Mrs. Kent."

Martha slowly broke the hug and with her hands placed on either side of Chloe's arms, held the younger woman at arm's length. She took in the sight of the bright-eyed blond and gave her a smile. For better or worse, Chloe was now going to be part of Clark's complicated world. Martha only hoped that the burden of keeping the Kent family secret wouldn't take too much of a toll on the young woman she almost considered a daughter. She wanted as much as possible to assure Chloe that the Kents and Pete would be there to support her through the trials that were sure to come.

"Come inside dear, dinner will be ready in a little bit," she said.

Martha led Chloe through the house towards the dining room. But before they reached their destination, they encountered the figure of Jonathan Kent in the living room. At 6'3", the former Smallville High football star was an imposing presence who was in great shape for a man his age. Chloe looked up at the blond-haired blue-eyed farmer. Despite his salt-of-the-earth upbringing, Chloe always thought that Jonathan carried himself with a combination of strength and quiet dignity that commanded respect. She also knew that Jonathan was fiercely protective of his family, especially Clark. Although Chloe felt somewhat certain that Martha would welcome her into the fold, she worried about Jonathan's reaction to her uncovering of Clark's powers. Her fears increased as she saw a mixture of emotions on Jonathan's face. Behind the welcoming smile on his mouth, Chloe could sense his stern protectiveness in the tensing of his solid jaw. Chloe gulped and set her mind to winning over Clark's father.

"Hi Mr. Kent," she greeted with her warmest smile, "thanks for having me over."

Jonathan carefully studied his son's lively friend. Though his mind told him that allowing an aspiring reporter to learn the full extent of Clark's origin was a risky move, something else told him otherwise. Like his father before him, Jonathan always had a knack for reading people and didn't easily give his trust. But something deep in his gut told him that despite her inquisitive nature, Chloe could be trusted. In addition, Jonathan knew the strain that keeping Clark's secret from Chloe placed on both Pete and his son. Going against his normal instinct to withhold Clark's secret, Jonathan decided that telling Chloe would help Clark and Pete carry the burden of the secret in the long run. At the thought, the sternness in Jonathan's jaw disappeared for a moment as his own smile brightened in response to Chloe's greeting.

"Any time Chloe. You're always welcome in this house," he answered with true sincerity in his voice.

Upon seeing Jonathan's change of expression, Chloe's reporter's instinct told her that he had decided to trust her. She let out an internal sigh of relief and thanked her stars that for some imperceptible reason Mr. Kent chose to put his faith in her. 

Feeling her worries subside she replied, "Thanks Mr. Kent, that means a lot to me."

Jonathan gave her a satisfied grin. He then placed one of his large hands on her shoulder as a sign of acceptance and gently ushered her in the dining room.

Upon stepping into the dining room, Chloe noticed Clark facing her as he leaned against the wall with one shoulder and his arms crossed across his chest. His face held an expression of happiness and relief. She could tell that he had listened in on the exchange between her and Mr. Kent and was pleased with the outcome.

Before she could comment on Clark's goofy grin with a witty retort, Chloe found herself dumbfounded as a certain cocoa-skinned, brown-eyed individual stepped out from behind Clark with his hands nervously tucked in his pockets.

"Hey Chloe," said Pete, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice and on his face.

"Pete, what are you doing here?" Chloe instantly stammered in surprise.

Pete watched Chloe apprehensively as the expression of shock on her face slowly turned into one of perturbed comprehension. He gulped as Chloe's green eyes took on a predatory look.

"You know, don't you?" she accused Pete.  
Pete opened his mouth but no words came out. He settled for disjointedly nodding instead.

"For how long?" she asked pointedly.

This time Pete was actually able to overcome his fear and managed to form a coherent sentence.

"Since the start of sophomore year," he mumbled, turning away from her penetrating gaze.

Chloe erupted and yelled, "What?"

Pete threw up his hands in exasperation and turned to Clark.

"Man, I told you she was going to kill me!"

Clark bent over in laughter and slapped Pete on the back, choosing to ignore Pete's grumbling threats about spiking the food with kryptonite. 

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Adam lingered in the darkness of the alley, eyeing his prey. Looking out from underneath the hood of his black sweat shirt, he spied on Alicia as she walked towards her car in the Talon parking lot. With his enhanced physical strength, speed, and reflexes, he felt confident that capturing her would be a simple matter. Seeing her fishing for her car keys in her purse, he decided it was time to make his move. 

Alicia felt around the inside of her purse for her keys and instead found her fingers touching the small can of mace that she brought with her everywhere she went. It was one of the birthday presents she received from her father on her sixteenth. A small grin crept over her face as she flashed back to the conversation she had with her father that day. Her father had insisted that she keep it on her person whenever she left the house, but she protested and told her father that she didn't see the point of having mace if she could teleport herself out of any situation. He balked at her reasoning and countered by saying that he wanted her to have the mace spray so that she wouldn't ever have to reveal her abilities to the public if she found herself in danger. Although she initially resisted her dad's request, she eventually acquiesced in order to keep him from worrying himself to death. Now she never left home without it, but it was a constant nuisance whenever she dug for her keys in her purse.

A sudden shuffling sound and a small gust of wind at Alicia's back snapped her out of her thoughts. She could feel that someone was looking at her from behind and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Alarmed, she gripped the can of mace in her purse and quickly turned around to face whoever was behind her.

Lana looked at the scene unfolding before her. She had just stepped outside the Talon to throw an old mop into the dumpster by the parking lot when she noticed a male figure with a hooded sweat shirt step out of the alley. She saw the figure shoot towards Alicia with a humanly impossible burst of speed and came to an abrupt stop behind Alicia, as if stalking her. Thinking it was another meteor freak on the loose, Lana figured she needed a weapon of some sort and quickly detached the long wooden handle from the mop head. Gripping the wooden mop handle tightly in her hands, she moved towards the figure as stealthily as she could in order to sneak up behind him.

Alicia looked into the grey eyes of the hooded man before her. Although his eyes were beautiful, they were also filled with a crazed and desperate energy that made her shudder. She thought that the angelic lines of his face clashed violently with the crazed look in his eyes, making his gaze look even more creepy and sinister. Alicia gripped the can of mace in her purse even more tightly. Not wanting to reveal her teleporting powers in front of anyone unless absolutely necessary, she readied herself to unleash the mace on her stalker. It was then that she noticed Lana through her peripheral vision, sneaking up behind the man with a long wooden handle in her hands, preparing to knock him unconscious. Alicia kept staring directly at the man's eyes in order not to alert him of Lana's presence.

Unfortunately, Alicia's efforts to conceal Lana's sneak attack were for naught. Adam's sensitive hearing picked up the normally imperceptible sounds of Lana's light footsteps and quickened breathing. He could even smell the coffee in her breath.

When Lana was within striking distance, she cocked back the mop handle and swung at Adam as hard as she could. To her surprise and dismay, Adam used his preternaturally quick reflexes to spin around to face Lana and catch the wooden stick in his hands before it contacted with his head. Looking directly at his attacker, a wicked grin spread across his lips as he tightened his grip on the mop handle and snapped it in half like a twig. Lana could only look on in shock upon recognizing Adam as Alicia's super-powered stalker.

"Hi Lana," he condescendingly chided, "you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

Meanwhile, Alicia took advantage of Adam's gloating by pulling out her can of mace and taking aim at the back of his head.

"Hey!" she shouted in an attempt to get his attention.

Adam whipped around to face Alicia's voice and was met with a stream of mace to his face.

"Aghh!" he choked out.

Alicia hastily ran past a distracted Adam and joined Lana.

"Come on," said Lana, "let's get inside the Talon."

But before Lana could even finish her sentence, Adam seemingly appeared out of nowhere to block their path towards the coffee shop.

"Nice trick," he scowled at Alicia, "but I think I've just developed a tolerance for mace!"

"Crap, I thought that would buy us more time," Alicia muttered.

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to get past Adam to get into the Talon, Lana and Alicia made a dash away from Adam towards the main street, hoping that other pedestrians and oncoming traffic would dissuade their pursuer. The two girls ran side-by-side as fast as they could across the parking lot in a desperate attempt to get to the street. Amused, Adam decided to toy with his prey and ran after them at half speed, knowing full well that he would catch them before they reached their destination. As they heard Adam's footsteps grow louder behind them, both girls realized that they weren't going to make it. Alicia knew that there was only one sure way out of this predicament.

Still running, Alicia turned to Lana and authoritatively said, "Lana, take my hand."

Sensing that Alicia had a plan, Lana immediately did as she was asked and grabbed Alicia's outstretched hand.

In an instant, the two girls disappeared in a haze of green mist, much to the bewilderment and anger of their would-be captor. Adam stopped running as the mist evaporated without a trace of his prey. His carefully laid-out plan to regain his freedom literally vanished into thin air right in front of his eyes.

"No!" yelled Adam out of frustration into the night air.

"I take it your quarry found a way to elude you," yelled a voice from behind him.

Surprised and outraged that he had let someone sneak up on him, Adam turned to identify the owner of the voice. His eyes widened at the sight of a smirking Lex Luthor. Adam felt the sudden urge to permanently wipe the smirk off the younger Luthor's face.

"Girls that vanish into thin air," Lex added, "I guess things in this little town just got a whole lot more complicated than you originally bargained for, huh?"

"Next thing out of your mouth better be something useful," Adam shouted, "or else I might just snap your neck."

Sensing Adam's foul mood, Lex decided to get down to business.

"Adam, I'm not here to antagonize you. I'm here to make you an offer. We both have a common enemy here… namely, my father. You and I can work together against him."

"So?" Adam questioned, unconvinced that Lex had anything of value to offer.

Then Lex pulled out one of his trump cards.

"I know all about the project Lazarus liver serum. I can help you."

Adam stopped dead in his tracks. As far as he knew, Lionel went to great lengths to conceal project Lazarus from his son. But Lex had somehow gotten wind of the project.

"Really," Adam asked, still somewhat skeptical, "how exactly do you plan to help me?"

"I can get you samples of the serum to keep you alive, Adam… or should I call you Chad Nash?"

Adam's eyes narrowed with interest. Lex knew a lot more about project Lazarus than he had originally thought. He even knew his real name. This gave some credence to Lex's claims of being able to obtain samples of the serum. If Lex had enough people inside to know about the inner details of the project, then it was a real possibility that Lex could also obtain samples of the serum. Adam was quickly learning that just like Lionel, Lex Luthor was not to be underestimated.

"Even if you could get me the serum," Adam cautiously added, "what do you want in return?"

"Two things," Lex replied. "First, you leave Clark and his friends alone. Second, you tell me exactly what my father knows about Clark Kent."

Adam seriously debated on whether to take up Lex on his offer. Now that his plan to capture Lana and Alicia had failed, it was only a matter of time until Lionel would either come after him or withhold the serum for violating their agreement. Although he didn't trust Lex, Adam was short on options.

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Lana felt her body tingle as she suddenly found herself inside the Smallville High physics lab. Just a split-second earlier, she and Alicia were running for their lives through the Talon parking lot. She glanced over at Alicia. Lana knew that somehow, Alicia had miraculously transported them to safety. But how did she do it? Was she affected by the meteors? If so, perhaps Alicia was usng her powers for good, much like Lana had suspected Clark of doing earlier in the year. If that was the case, then Lana suspected it could explain a lot about how Clark and Alicia had grown so close so fast. 

Alicia saw the mixture of surprise, confusion, and realization on Lana's face. She braced herself for the worst. Unable to bear the possibility of being singled out as a freak at school, Alicia turned away from Lana's questioning gaze and started to walk towards the door.

As much as she wanted explanations, Lana also wanted to thank Alicia for saving both of their hides. 

"Alicia, wait!" she called after her.

Alicia stopped and nervously turned to look at her classmate. Lana walked towards her and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks for saving my life… and for trusting me." Lana said with heartfelt thanks.

A smile of relief and appreciation spread over Alicia's features in response to Lana's expression of gratitude and acceptance. In light of having used her abilities in front of Lana, Alicia felt that the situation was playing out much better than expected.

"It was the least I could do," Alicia replied, "you tried to save me first, after all."

Lana let out a small laugh in return.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to smash that guy over the head."

"Wait," Alicia asked, "you know that guy?"

"Unfortunately," the brunette said dryly.

Alicia gave her a questioning look.

"It's a long story," Lana responded, "but needless to say, he's a real creep. Do you have any idea why he came after you?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

Lana's brow furrowed as she attempted to deduce why Adam would possibly come after Alicia. Alicia looked at her curiously, trying to figure out Lana was thinking. After a moment, Lana realized that the one common denominator between her and Alicia was that they both had a romantic connection with Clark at one time or another. Lana thought back to Adam's journal detailing Clark's activities. It was Clark. He was the linchpin.

With a sense of urgency, Lana emerged from her thoughts and looked back up at Alicia.

"We need to warn Clark."


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

**Twist of Fate**

Chapter 7: Revelations

Alicia stared at the hazel-eyed brunette in front of her, unsure of what was going on.

"What do you mean we have to warn Clark?" Alicia asked, seeking clarification.

"You know that guy who came after us? He's been investigating Clark and I think he's trying to use both of us to get to him."

"Why would he want to investigate Clark? Who is this guy?"

"His name's Adam. I think he believes that there's something very different about Clark. What exactly, I don't know."

Lana resisted the temptation to ask Alicia if she knew whether Adam's suspicions were justified. But Lana didn't want to drag Alicia into a situation where she would be forced to contemplate betraying any possible confidences that Clark had placed in her. Instead, Lana concentrated on the situation at hand.

"Adam's tried to use me to get close to Clark before," Lana explained, "and now it looks like he's after you for the same reason."

Alicia worried that Adam and Lana were both dangerously close to uncovering at least part of Clark's secret. She would need to be very careful about what she said regarding Clark in front of Lana. If Clark wanted to tell Lana about his abilities, that was fine. But she wouldn't be the one to betray Clark's trust. In addition, Alicia suspected that Clark wouldn't have much trouble dealing with Adam if they met head on. Adam hadn't seemed nearly as strong as Clark. But Adam could still strike at Clark's loved ones. She agreed with Lana that Clark had to know about Adam as soon as possible.

"You're right Lana. Clark needs to know about this right away. There's no telling what someone with Adam's powers could do."

"Thanks," Lana smiled back appreciatively.

"I'll teleport us to his place," Alicia offered, "it'll only be a split second." 

"Before we go," Lana interjected, "just so that I don't reveal anything you don't want me to when we get there… does Clark know about your abilities?"

"Yes," Alicia answered, "other than you, he's the only one in school that knows."

Both girls paused for a moment and appraised each other, realizing the awkwardness of their predicament. The normal tenets of high school society dictated that they be anything but friendly. Instead, they found themselves having to trust each other with some of their deepest secrets in order to protect the one man that stood between them.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else about you," Lana assured her in an attempt to cement Alicia's trust.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Alicia smiled back. "Ready to go?"

Lana nodded, and in an instant the two of them disappeared from the Smallville High physics labs in a swirl of green mist. They rematerialized in front of the barn that housed Clark's loft-his fortress of solitude-as his family called it.

In addition to Clark's voice, the girls heard the voices of two other people floating down from the loft. Although she couldn't make out what they were saying, Lana instantly recognized the two other voices as Pete's and Chloe's.

"It's okay," Lana informed Alicia, "it's just Chloe and Pete."

Alicia nodded in reply, knowing that Chloe and Pete were Clark's two closest friends.

Lana quickly led Alicia into the barn and towards the steps that led up to the loft.

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Pete sat back on the couch in Clark's loft with his hands cradling the back of his head, the perfect picture of relaxed ease. He let out a sigh of relief and contentment as he observed his two best friends talk animatedly with each other mere feet away from him. Pete was thankful for a lot of things that day.

First, he was grateful that Chloe hadn't decided to tear him limb from limb for holding out on her for so long. Instead, he got the complete opposite reaction from his favorite blond… one he would never forget. Unknown to either Clark or Chloe, Pete had an unrequited crush on their favorite blond reporter. Once Clark and his parents fully revealed to her Clark's true story and Pete's role as one of the faithful protectors of Clark's secret, she fixed Pete with a look of genuine admiration that was quickly followed by an extremely tight and affectionate hug. For the life of him, Pete couldn't remember a time when Chloe had looked upon him with such appreciation. Heck, he didn't even remember a time when he had been in such close proximity to Chloe's…uh… assets, so to speak. He was so distracted by the feel of her body on his that he totally missed most of what she told him during their embrace. Something about "being such a great friend" and "lucky to know someone so loyal and awesome," or something or other. Pete was sure they were all nice compliments, but for him they merely icing on the cake after that hug. Memories of that moment were bound to keep him in high spirits all week.

The second thing Pete was thankful for was the fact that he no longer had to hide Clark's secret from Chloe. Now it could be the three of them once again solving Smallville's oddities together as a team, just like the old days. He looked over at his two friends and smiled. Chloe seemed giddy with excitement as she asked an unending stream of questions about Clark's Kryptonian background. Surprisingly, Pete noticed that in the face of Chloe's enthusiasm regarding his true origin, Clark appeared to loosen up considerably and for once didn't look upon his own heritage with complete disdain. Pete listened in with amusement as Chloe peppered their tall friend with inquiries.

"Are you saying that in addition to being a repository of Kryptonian knowledge, the Kawatche caves were some kind of gateway to Krypton?" Chloe asked.

"It certainly seems that way," Clark responded, "my birth father, Jor-El, used it in the past."

"You mean your father's been to Earth?" Chloe exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, he has. He was sent here on some kind of test or trial by his father."

"What kind of test?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but during his stay he met Lana's aunt Louise as well as my grandpa, Hiram Kent."

"Wait a minute," Chloe thought out loud, "there's no chance that Jor-El was the drifter Lana's aunt fell in love with, is there?"

"Actually," Clark answered with some hesitation, "he was."

"Whoa…" Chloe said as her jaw dropped in astonishment. Her heart sank slightly as she surmised that Clark and his birth father apparently shared the same taste in women across space and time.

'Just my luck,' she silently half-joked and half-grumbled to herself, 'it figures that Clark's biologically pre-disposed to go for Lana. A girl like me just can't catch a break.'

Unwilling to wallow in self pity, Chloe quickly changed the subject.

"What about Hiram Kent? How did he meet Jor-El?"

"Hiram actually helped Jor-El escape to the caves once the authorities were after him. Hiram even told Jor-El that if he ever needed anything, that Jor-El could count on him."

"Which is what makes Clark think that his biological parents sent him to Smallville and the Kents on purpose," Pete chimed in.

"Really?" Chloe responded in disbelief, "Didn't your dad say that Hiram Kent had a natural talent for reading people?"

"That's true," Clark confirmed, "he had a reputation for being able to tell whether someone was being straight with him. Dad says that grandpa Kent could tell within moments whether someone was essentially good or not, and that to his knowledge grandpa was never wrong about anyone he met."

"But," Pete interjected, "the Jor-El you met in the caves and through your spaceship acted like a total jerk.

"I think Pete's on to something," added Chloe, "why in the world would someone like Hiram Kent voluntarily help Jor-El if your biological dad could be so harsh?"

"Honestly," Clark acknowledged, "that's something I've been wondering about for a while now. In my visions, Jor-El cared for Louise and the Kents. But now he sees everyone in my life as mere pawns that are only useful for helping me realize my supposed 'destiny'."

"It just seems like the Jor-El you saw in your flashbacks is totally different from the Jor-El we're dealing with now," Pete observed.

"The question is why," Chloe postulated. "Is the essence of Jor-El in the caves an impostor or some kind of faulty computer program? Or did Jor-El really change from the time he met up with Hiram Kent?"

"I wish I knew," Clark said more to himself than to his friends.

"Hey," Chloe suggested, "have you ever thought of simply asking Jor-El about the time he spent on Earth with Louise and the Kents?"

"Yeah," Pete concurred, "it might soften him up a little bit. Make him more willing to listen to your point of view."

"I've thought about it, but my dad's against any kind of contact with Jor-El. He's afraid that Jor-El might try to do something to make me bend to his will. And judging from my past dealings with him, it's definitely something he's capable of."

"We'll come with you to make sure nothing happens," Pete offered.

"Definitely," Chloe added.

"No," Clark vehemently declined, "it's too dangerous. He could easily hurt you guys. It's out of the question."

Chloe and Pete felt the walls around Clark start to build themselves up once again.

"Too many people already know. Too many people are potentially in harm's way if something goes wrong." said Clark.

"Clark," Chloe explained, "you can't blame yourself for Alicia knowing your secret, or even me. Those events were completely out of your control."

"That's right bro," Pete confirmed, "even your folks seemed pretty understanding about the whole situation about Alicia finding out your abilities. You had no choice. You had to save her life, right?"

Unknown to his parents and his two best friends, Clark hadn't told them the real reason for his escape from the elevator. He had kept his promise to Alicia and managed to explain the events on the surveillance video to his friends and family without alluding to Alicia's teleportation abilities. Clark sighed. Just when he thought he was done lying to his friends, he needed to keep lying to protect someone else's secret.

"I guess you're right Pete," he said before his super hearing picked up the sound of a voice outside the barn.

The voice sounded like Lana's. Then he heard not just one pair of footsteps, but two walking towards the barn entrance. Clark immediately raised up his hand, signaling for Chloe and Pete to remain silent.

"Someone's outside," he warned them.

"Wow," Chloe whispered to Pete, "why can't I have super hearing? I'd be the ultimate investigative reporter!"

"Chloe," Pete whispered in jest, "that's a truly frightening thought... really."

"Be afraid," she mocked back, "be very afraid…"

Pete choked back his laughter in order not to distract Clark. A moment later, they heard footsteps ascending the stairs towards the loft.

"Clark," Lana called out, "are you up there?"

Upon hearing her voice, Clark shouted down in response.

"Pete, Chloe, and I are up here… come on up."

The three friends in the loft exchanged looks, silently wondering what Lana was doing over so late at night. When Lana emerged at the top of the steps, she was followed closely by a very unexpected companion. Clark, Chloe, and Pete all stood there in stunned silence when they realized that Lana had come over with Alicia, and that both girls wore serious expressions on their faces.

"Alicia," Clark said before words left him. He just didn't know what to make of the sudden appearance of his two most recent love interests…together.

Pete surveyed the situation before him, feeling both bad for Clark yet quite amused. From left to right he looked at Lana, Alicia, and Chloe all staring at an apparently petrified Clark.

"Talk about a firing squad bro," Pete half-chuckled under his breath, loud enough only for Clark to hear.

Pete's comment had the desired effect, as Clark snapped out of his trance and shot a warning look at Pete before turning back to Lana and Alicia.

Noting the serious looks on their faces, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Clark," Lana began, "it's about Adam."

"He tried to kidnap us," Alicia finished.

"What? Tell me what happened," he demanded.

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Clark, Chloe, and Pete listened intently as Lana and Alicia filled them in on their encounter with Adam. Their interest peaked when Lana relayed her observations of Adam's seemingly superhuman strength and speed, and Chloe couldn't help but notice something that didn't add up. 

"Wait," she interjected, "it seems kind of weird that Adam just developed superpowers overnight."

"What do you mean?" asked Lana, unsure of what Chloe was getting at. 

"Are you saying that he hasn't always had his powers like everyone else who's been affected by the meteor rocks?" inquired Pete.

Clark and Alicia exchanged uneasy glances after Pete's mention of meteor-affected individuals.

"There's always been a lot of strange things about Adam," Lana added. 

"I know," Chloe explained, "but being super fast and super strong wasn't one of them, at least not until now." 

Lana gave Chloe a look that begged for her roommate to elaborate, and Chloe complied.

"Do you remember that time you tried to kill me when you were hypnotized by that email from Brainwave?"

"Um, not exactly," Lana answered with apologetic embarrassment, "I was kind of hypnotized at the time."

"Oh, right," Chloe acknowledged, a little embarrassed herself at having momentarily forgotten that Lana's memory of the incident had been wiped out.

"Anyway," she maintained, "right before you were about to wipe the floor with me, Adam stepped in to save me. But believe me, you gave him all he could handle. You even busted him up a little bit… hardly the superhuman specimen you're describing now."

"Maybe he was faking it back then?" Alicia suggested.

"Enough to almost get himself killed by the ex-head cheerleader here? Sounds like a kinky way to get a girl's attention, but unlikely." Chloe quipped, forcing Pete to stifle a laugh while making Lana blush at Chloe's innuendo. Alicia, who obviously wasn't familiar with Chloe's edgy sense of humor, nearly gasped in shock while Clark in his innocence stood there oblivious to the implications of Chloe's remark.

"In any case," Chloe continued now that she had everyone's attention, "the real question is how the two of you managed to escape this guy."

Lana and Alicia looked at each other nervously for a moment before Lana answered. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Clark. It seemed like both girls were trying to cover something up. He wondered whether Alicia had been forced to use her powers to save herself and Lana.

"Fortunately," Lana said, "Alicia had a can of mace that slowed him down a bit-"

"Just enough for us to dash into one of my friend's cars as she was leaving the parking lot, and we told her to take us straight here." Alicia interjected.

Lana and Alicia's explanation confirmed for Clark that they were indeed covering up for Alicia's use of her abilities, since his super hearing hadn't picked up the sound of an approaching car all evening. For Alicia's sake, however, he decided to keep this information from Chloe and Pete.

"I'm glad you both got here safe," he said in an attempt to prevent Chloe from asking additional questions, giving a knowing look first to Alicia and then to Lana. 

"Clark," Lana warned, "you need to be really careful about Adam. I think the reason he came after us was to get to you."

"What?" Clark asked in surprise while Pete and Chloe both listened with concern to Lana's theory.

"Do you remember that notebook of his I found? I think he'd been trying to get close to me so that he could spy on you this entire time. I don't know what he wants from you, but please take care of yourself and don't try to be a hero."

"Don't worry Lana," Clark reassured her by placing a hand on her shoulder. But before he could remove his hand, he and everyone else in the room saw Lana's Kryptonian pendant begin to glow brightly as if in response to Clark's touch.

A searing sensation suddenly shot to Lana's head as visions of Louise and Joe bombarded her mind. Lana fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain. The world around her faded into the background, drowned out by Louise's memories of Joe. All she could feel was Louise's immense love for Joe and how Joe's love for her great aunt nearly made him stay in Smallville in defiance of his father's wishes. Then she saw Joe in the Kawatche caves, speaking sweetly into Louise's ear to tell her his true birth name: Jor-El. At that moment, Louise called out to Lana in her vision.

_Lana, only you can help the one you love. You must tell Jor-El to remember. Remember what it was like to be among us. Remember what it was like to love. _

As soon as Louise finished speaking, the vision ended. Lana's surroundings returned into focus and she slowly regained her wits as her friends surrounded her, asking her if she was alright.

While the pain in her head subsided, the questions in her mind multiplied. What was Joe, or Jor-El's, connection to the caves? And he was still around for Lana to talk to... at least that's what Louise led her to believe. But what bothered Lana the most were the similarities between Jore-El and Clark. Both were connected to the cave somehow, and the way Jor-El had held Louise in the caves reminded Lana of that time Clark had once eased away her fears at the very same spot. The similarities were utterly eerie.

Once Lana began to look around her, she realized that Clark and Chloe had their arms around her, trying to gently help her up. Alicia and Pete stood close by, both concerned. 

"Lana," Clark asked, full of worry, "are you okay? What happened?"

Lana looked up at Clark, but all she could see was his resemblance to Jor-El. She needed to know why these visions were plaguing her. And she needed answers now. Lana firmly locked her gaze into Clark's eyes and asked him point blank, "Clark, who exactly is Jor-El?"

Chloe and Pete couldn't believe their ears. How could she have known the name of Clark's birth father? They looked at each other and knew that this meant major trouble.

Clark, however, didn't even seem to flinch at Lana's question. To his astonishment, Lana had voiced the very thing that had been plaguing him all night.

_Who exactly was Jor-El?_

Clark thought back to his own conversation with Chloe and Pete only minutes earlier regarding his biological father. Was Jor-El the emotionally detached tyrant that Clark had built him up to be? Or was Jor-El the compassionate man that had earned the love of Louise and the trust of Hiram Kent? His heart burned to find out the answer. Jor-El was Clark's one true link to his Kryptonian heritage—perhaps the only biological family Clark would ever get the chance to know. His one chance to feel like there was somewhere he truly belonged.

Yet due to Clark's efforts to avoid his "destiny," his birth father still largely remained a mystery to him… and that disturbed him much more deeply than he had ever realized. Despite Clark's love for Jonathan Kent and his mistrust of Jor-El, the mystery of his biological father's true identity stirred up something in his heart that he didn't know existed—a yearning to know the very man that was Clark's own flesh and blood.

And now Lana, the girl he had admired and loved for so long, was somehow intertwined in their cosmic struggle. He looked directly back into Lana's eyes, her question ringing over and over again in his mind.

_Clark, who exactly is Jor-El?_

To be quite honest, he didn't truly know. But he wished he did. Before answering Lana's question, Clark silently resolved to take his destiny into his own hands. He decided to meet Jor-El head on and find out for himself what Jor-El truly wanted from him. Armed with a new sense of fortitude, he focused once again on the brunette in front of him.

"Lana," he answered truthfully, "I don't really know."

Lana searched Clark's eyes for any signs of the nervous avoidance that always gave him away whenever he lied to her, but she found none. Instead, she found a strong determination in his stare that reminded her of his expression whenever he swooped in to save the day. 

Whenever Clark shed his mantle of insecurity in front of her as he did just then, Lana never quite knew what to do with herself. She was somewhat taken aback by the firm resolve in his voice, but she had to admit that she found a determined Clark incredibly attractive.

Quickly seizing upon Clark's momentary derailment of Lana's inquisition, Chloe moved in to finish the job.

"Lana," the fiery blond interjected, "what the hell just happened with your necklace?"

Still distracted by her thoughts of Clark, Lana looked back at Chloe like a deer staring into a pair of headlamps. Pete nearly let out a chuckle at how quickly Chloe and Clark had managed to turn the tables on Lana.

Meanwhile, Alicia watched on with interest. It was becoming increasingly clear to her that there was more to Clark's secret than he was letting on and somehow Lana was connected to it, whether Lana knew it or not. 

Lana looked at Chloe and everyone else staring at her expectedly for an answer. She felt extremely uncomfortable being the focus of everyone's attention. She wasn't exactly eager to tell everyone that she's been chatting with her long-dead aunt Louise. However, she figured that she could really use someone with Chloe's investigative expertise to help her unravel the pendant's mysteries. 

"Well," Lana confessed, "this necklace belonged to my aunt Louise."

At the mention of Louise's name, Chloe scrutinized the pendant on Lana's neck much more closely, remembering Louise's connection with Clark's biological father. She thought there was something familiar about the pendant's shape. It seemed like she recognized it from somewhere… from a symbol she had seen in the caves! Chloe believed that it was highly probable that Jor-El was involved in how Louise came across the pendant.

"Lana," Chloe continued to probe, "has anything like this happened with the pendant before?"

"Once, when I first got it." she replied.

"So," Chloe pushed on, "what do you see when the pendant starts acting up?"

Lana sure didn't like being in Chloe's crosshairs. But she had no choice but to spill the beans if she was going to get any help. She looked around the room sheepishly.

"You're all going to think I'm crazy," Lana said apprehensively.

"Try us," Chloe challenged, "or did you forget that most of us are custodians of the Wall of Weird?"

"Don't worry Lana," Alicia chimed in, giving Lana a reassuring look, "you know I've got an open mind."

Lana gave Alicia a nod in understanding. She believed that Alicia's meteor-induced abilities would probably make her more willing to accept her story. With her friend's assurances in mind, Lana attempted to tell them about her visions.

"Do you guys remember earlier this year when Clark started getting flashbacks about Louise and Joe, the drifter she was in love with?"

Alicia gave Clark a questioning look. "I'll explain everything later," Clark whispered to Alicia.

"Yeah," confirmed Chloe, "I remember that for some unexplained reason Clark had flashbacks of Joe's memories."

"Well," Lana continued, "what's happening with the pendant is a lot like that."

"Are you saying that you're having flashbacks of Louise's memories?" Clark asked.

"Kind of, but it's a little more than that," Lana elaborated. "On top of seeing her memories, it actually seems like Louise trying to talk to me and tell me things as well."

"Whoa, this is kind of trippy," Pete half-joked, "even for wall of weird stuff—ouch!" Chloe had instantly given him a pinch and a stern look, not wanting to discourage Lana from divulging more information about her visions. "Sorry," Pete said in response to Chloe's death stare. 

"Anyway," Chloe continued, "what's Louise trying to tell you in the visions?"

"She keeps telling me that there's someone I need to help and that in order to do so I have to talk to someone named Jor-El."

Chloe immediately responded in an effort to hide the shock she was feeling at the idea of Louise's ghost asking Lana to confront Clark's biological father. She only hoped that her attempt to act clueless would cover up for the shock that Clark and Pete were surely feeling in response to that information. She didn't dare look at the face of her two other friends for fear of blowing their cover.

"What in the world does that mean?" Chloe asked, feigning ignorance. 

"I don't know, but I need to find out who this Jor-El character is. He might be able to explain what's happening with this pendant."

Lana then turned to Clark, who has doing his best not to look shell shocked.

"Clark, I figured that since you've seen Joe's memories of Louise in the past, you might have some clue as to who Jor-El is."

"I'm sorry Lana," he lied convincingly, "but we'll find out what this is all about."

Clark stood there, quietly outraged that Jor-El had snagged Lana within his web. But Clark was determined not to let that remain the case. He clenched his fists as the anger slowly built inside of him. His growing need to know his father took on a new dimension. He needed to get to know Jor-El so that he could put a stop to his games once and for all. 

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Feedback is greatly appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontations

Before allowing anyone to go back home, Clark reported Adam's attempt to kidnap Alicia and Lana to Sheriff Adams. Surprisingly, she'd immediately sent squad cars to each of their homes to make sure the girls were safe if Adam turned up again. The extra measure of security allowed Clark to feel comfortable enough to let Lana head back home with Chloe. Once Pete left, Clark insisted on driving Alicia back to her house. 

Driving towards Alicia's home in his truck, Clark tried to process the night's events in his mind. First there was the thought of Adam with newfound powers targeting Alicia and Lana in order to get to him. The thought made his stomach sick. Clark had to overcome the urge to speed-search through Smallville and beat the living tar out of Adam when he found him. Besides there was a much bigger fish to fry named Jor-El. Clark had some unfinished business with his Kryptonian father and he was determined to resolve it before the night was over.

Clark wasn't the only person whose mind was left swirling with questions. Alicia rode in the passenger seat trying to make sense of everything she'd witnessed tonight. A near abduction, a forced reveal of her abilities, and visions triggered by glowing necklaces involving mysterious characters with strange names was a bit much for one night. Even for someone as used to weirdness as she was. She looked over at Clark's face and saw an expression of worried contemplation that mirrored what she was feeling inside.

Unable to contain the myriad questions running through her mind, she began directing some of them towards Clark.

"Clark, do you think that Lana's right about why this Adam guy went after us? Does it have something to do with him knowing about your powers?" 

"It's possible," Clark hesitantly confessed, "especially after what I learned just recently."

"What did you find out, exactly?"

"Don't ask me how, but one of my contacts came across the security video from that day we met in the elevator and I saw what was on it."

"A contact?"

Clark wanted to protect Chloe and not divulge her identity if possible, especially since whoever sent her the security video might have been involved in the kidnap attempt on Alicia. But he also wanted to find a way to tell Alicia what she needed to know without technically lying to her.

"It pays to be involved in journalism," he explained.

"But I thought you fried the security camera?"

"That's true, but I also saw a video of someone from LuthorCorp examining the remains of the elevator. I think that judging from the hole in the elevator and the melted camera, that person could suspect that I might have used my powers to save us from the elevator crash. And if Lana's right, that same person might be using Adam to investigate me. There's no evidence that would give anyone reason to suspect you, though."

"Not that it matters now, anyway," Alicia sighed. "Adam saw me teleport Lana away from the Talon. If Adam's actually in league with this person like you suspect, it's all a moot point."

"I'm sorry I got you involved in all this," he apologized. If it weren't for him, he reasoned, then none of his friends would have been exposed to this danger.

But Alicia was having none of that.

"Don't apologize, Clark. There was nothing you could do about it. You were only trying to help the people around you with your abilities. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Besides," she grinned, "I think that's what makes you so special." 

Slightly comforted by Alicia's words, Clark thought of something else he had been dying to ask Alicia.

"So, I guess Lana knows about your abilities now."

"She needed my help, so I had to reveal my abilities to save the both of us."

"Thanks," Clark told her with real gratitude, "for helping my friend."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's nothing that either of you wouldn't have done for me. Besides, she was the one that first came to my rescue by trying to whack Adam with a broom stick. So technically I owed her one," she smiled back.

"So how did she handle finding out that you could teleport?" Clark inquired with keen interest. His previous conversation with Lana in the caves made him hopeful that Lana would be understanding of those who were different, such as himself.

"She handled it a lot better than I expected," said Alicia. "She even promised not to tell anyone else about my abilities. I feel like I can actually trust Lana on this one."

Clark's spirits soared at the news. Lana was the last of his close circle of friends not to know who he really was. If Lana could accept Alicia, would she be able to accept him? Unlike Alicia, he had extraterrestrial origins. But if what Lana told him in the caves was true, then perhaps she wouldn't have a real problem with that either.

"Wow," he replied to Alicia's remark, "I'm glad she took it well."

"Yeah, me too…" Alicia trailed off, wondering that if Lana could be so understanding towards her, why did Clark not trust Lana enough with his own abilities?

"… Clark, why didn't you ever tell Lana about your abilities? Judging by the way she reacted to finding out about me, I think she would have understood." 

Alicia's new question caught Clark by surprise. There was no believable way to express to Alicia the idea that he was literally from another planet without giving away his true origins. He stumbled around in his mind for a suitable response.

"It's not that I don't trust Lana…" he began.

"Then what is it?"

"It's complicated…"

"Does it have anything with this Jor-El character you guys were talking about?"

Clark really didn't want to touch the upon the subject of Jor-El. So he did his best to come up with a plausible reason for not wanting to reveal his secret even to trustworthy people.

"Look Alicia, I didn't tell Lana because I worried about her safety. And it looks like I was right. Now you're both being chased by someone who's in all likelihood interested in my abilities."

Despite Clark's seemingly sensible answer, Alicia wasn't entirely convinced. She felt that there was something Clark wasn't telling her, and that both Lana and this Jor-El were tied to him in some way she couldn't quite yet grasp. Although she wanted to dispute Clark's explanation, it was hard arguing against the logic of his answer. She didn't want to push him further, so all she could do was hope that maybe he would open up to her in time.

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Adam lay down in bed in his safe house, fresh from meeting with Lex to discuss the proposals of the younger Luthor. Lex promised that in return for uncovering all of Lionel's illegal research, he would in turn use the fruits of his father's labor to find Adam a permanent cure for his failing liver. Adam had to admit that he was very intrigued by the prospect of bringing Lionel Luthor down from the inside. However, he wasn't sure if he could trust Lex to uphold his end of the bargain once Lionel was out of the way. In order for this to work, he needed to play his cards carefully.

The sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs of his apartment complex filtered in through Adam's enhanced hearing. He sat up and walked towards his front door. His hearing picked up four sets of footsteps approaching his apartment. Adam could also smell the slight stench of chemicals that was unique to the lab in which he was resurrected. Lionel Luthor was coming to pay a visit.

Adam opened his door to a grinning Lionel, who didn't seem the least bit surprised by Adam's anticipation of his arrival. Lionel and the three members of his security detail entered the apartment. Adam noticed that one of the body guards was carrying a laptop computer, which he found somewhat odd.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Adam, trying to temper his disdain for Lionel.

"Just an update," Lionel said with a little too much fake cheer for Adam's liking.

"Nothing out of the ordinary yet," Adam lied. He didn't want to give up his knowledge of Alicia Baker's abilities unless he could use the knowledge to leverage something out of Lionel.

"Really?" asked Lionel almost mockingly.

"Yeah, really." answered Adam, careful not take his eye of Lionel.

"On the contrary," Lionel rebutted with a sardonic look, "it seems you've been quite busy this evening."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you breaking my strict orders not to show yourself to the target."

Lionel just smiled. This couldn't be good, Adam thought to himself.

"However," Lionel continued, "I must say that your amateurish attempt to capture the target revealed something quite unexpected about Miss Baker, don't you think?"

Adam silently cursed himself. How could Lionel know all this? Had Lex betrayed him? Or did Lionel have someone else spy on them?

Lionel's grin grew wider as he saw the gears turning in Adam's head. In fact, Lionel had bugged Lex with a state of the art microscopic video and audio recorder without Lex's knowledge. This was a fact he withheld from Adam with delight. He wanted to keep Adam off balance while simultaneously eroding any trust he had in Lex. The grin on his face faded as he looked Adam in the eye.

"You've made a grave mistake by taking me so lightly," Lionel snarled.

Lionel motioned to the bodyguard with the laptop. The guard promptly opened the laptop to reveal a streaming video of a teenage girl bound and gagged with a gun pointed to her head.

Adam recognized the girl in the video. It was his younger sister. His heart sank while the rage within him boiled over.

"Eileen!" he screamed.

"Now, now, Mr. Nash let's not get worked up," Lionel patronized. "Since you clearly don't value your own life, why don't we throw someone else's in the pot?"

"You bastard!" Adam growled. "Where is she?!"

"She could be anywhere in the world, Mr. Nash. The important thing for you to know is that if the gunman aiming at your sister's head fails to receive voice confirmation from me at regular intervals not to shoot, your sister will be joining you in the afterlife. Understood?"

Adam clenched his fists in a simmering rage. He wanted to rip Lionel's head off, but he could do nothing. Nothing but submit to Lionel's demands. For now.

Lionel crossed his arms in a triumphant fashion and looked down on Adam.

"Since you've effectively blown your cover, Mr. Nash, there is only one thing that you could possibly do to keep your sister alive."

"What do you need me to do?" Adam asked through clenched teeth.

"You need to capture Ms. Baker and Clark Kent. Bring them to me alive. You have until the end of the week. Otherwise, your family will be hosting yet another funeral. Is that clear?"

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After dropping off Alicia, Clark drove directly to the Kawatche caves. Using his super hearing, he ensured that no one was in range to witness anything that could potentially happen if he confronted Jor-El. He strode into the caves full of indignation. How dare Jor-El drag his friends into their conflict. Hadn't Jor-El done enough to Clark's family?

Clark approached the wall that contained the opening for the octagonal key that once belonged to his spaceship. He placed the key in its slot and watched as the cave rumbled to life. The symbols surrounding the key opening began to swirl around and glow with blue, red, and yellow lights. The key itself began to glow and take on the colors of the symbols surrounding it, eventually morphing into the pentagonal crest of the house of El. Then a column of bright blue light shot down from the cave ceiling, completely enveloping Clark. Soon after, the booming voice of Jor-El resonated throughout the cavern.

_Kal-El. You have returned._

"I'm not going to let you keep ruining the lives of the people around me Jor-El!"

_You are mistaken Kal-El. It is not I who brings suffering upon those you care for. It is you who are responsible. By refusing to accept your destiny, you continue to bring anguish to those whom you claim to love._

Jor-El's words made Clark's blood boil. He couldn't believe that Jor-El had the audacity to pin the blame on him.

"My destiny?!!" he screamed, "If you want me to become a tyrannical ruler, you can forget about it! I refuse to become a monster that would use my power to oppress those I love!"

_Is that what you think your destiny is Kal-El? If so, you are completely misguided._

"What are you saying?"

_You were never destined to lord over this planet, Kal-El._

Clark's mind swirled in confusion over Jor-El's revelation. Did Jor-El just say that Clark wasn't meant to develop into the tyrant he was always afraid he would become?

"But what about the message you left me in my ship? You told me to rule the human race with strength. You said that is where my greatness lies."

_Kal-El, if you had only continued your Kryptonian training instead of running away from your calling, you would have understood the true meaning of that message. _

"Really?" he said full of cynicism. "Then why don't you enlighten me to this 'true meaning,' then!"

_As you wish. It is not the true Kryptonian way to rule through strength and domination. Those who have followed such a path of tyranny have traditionally been rejected and banished by Kryptonian society. In Krypton, those who rule do not do so by subjugating those around them. To rule means to lead. To lead means to guide those around you by serving as a light that shows the way. You will find that this is a philosophy shared by the more enlightened minds and cultures of the human race as well. You are not destined to be a tyrant, Kal-El. You are destined to be a leader. _

Clark could barely believe what he was hearing. If what Jor-El said was true, then it would turn Clark's understanding of himself, Jor-El, and Kryptonians in general completely on its head. He was no longer a monster, but a potential savior. Clark found it difficult to wrap his mind around such a possibility. He needed to be sure that Jor-El truly meant what he was saying.

"I'm not sure if I believe you… didn't you say that humans are a flawed race?"

_Humans are most certainly flawed Kal-El, but Kryptonians are not free from flaws themselves. You only need look to our dead civilization to realize that. _

"Then why do you think I'm more fit to lead than any other person on this earth? All I've ever wanted was to belong."

_Kal-El, you must understand that by virtue of being Kryptonian you have been endowed with great powers. These powers are accompanied by heavy burdens, great responsibilities, and grave consequences. Try as you may, these are realities you cannot avoid. Remember that even though you have been raised as a human being you are not one of them. They can be a great people Ka-El…they wish to be, they only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son._

Jor-El's words left Clark speechless. The big picture Jor-El presented to him was overwhelming. He'd never thought of his role on earth as being so important or so grand. It seemed to make Clark's personal concerns seem almost trivial by comparison. Although he felt awe at the thought of filling such an important post, it also drove home the point that he was irrevocably different and alone in this world. Clark felt incredibly torn. Clark may have agreed with Jor-El's vision to be a shining light for humanity in the future, but Clark feared that very same light would incinerate anyone who ever got close to him. As always, his existence dealt him with an unenviable catch-22.

"But what about my family? My friends? What happens to them? I can't just leave them… I need some time to think about this."

_Though you may want time to ponder your decision, be forewarned that every moment spent delaying your training will not only jeopardize your mission, but put those close to you in increasing danger as well. You must look beyond your own selfish desires and consider the greater good. You do your loved ones a disservice by refusing to fulfill your destiny. Instead of reaching your full potential, you risk drawing the wrath of your enemies towards those closest to you. _

"How would you know? You've never been in this situation before!"

_I speak from experience, Kal-El. I know first hand the consequences of refusing to fulfill my own destiny. Often our own selfishness results in innocents paying the ultimate price. Do not let my mistake be yours._

Clark thought back to Jor-El's memories of defying his father by wanting to stay with Louise on Earth.

"Are you talking about Louise?" he asked.

_Indeed. Heed my counsel. Even now, those who would exploit you are poised to strike at you and the ones you cherish. It is only a matter of time before you lose the things you most want to protect. If you continue to delay, everything I predict shall come to pass. Although I have tried to force your hand in the past, there is no substitute for experiencing the consequences of your own actions. I now leave the choice to you, my son._

And just like that, the cave went dark with no sign of Jor-El's presence. Clark looked at the wall in front of him and caught the key as it dislodged from its slot. He stood there for the next few minutes, contemplating everything Jor-El had laid in front of him.


End file.
